Richard Walker (businessman)

Richard Malcolm Walker (born 1981 (age 41) ) is the executive chairman of the privately held British Iceland supermarket chain of predominately frozen food retailers. He is the son of the company's founder Malcolm Walker and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor, prior to joining Iceland. In 2023 he expressed an interest in standing for Parliament as a Conservative, but later left the party.

Personal life
Walker was born in 1980 or 1981 and is the son of Malcolm Walker, who founded Iceland in 1970. He graduated in geography from Durham University in 2001, and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor. He is married with two children.

He is chair of the environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage.

When invited by New Scientist in 2021 to choose one of the "best popular science books" he nominated Enric Sala's The Nature of Nature.

He has said that the best advice he has been given was from his father, who said "Never, ever, ever, ever give up".

Career
Walker co-founded the property company Bywater in 2006, naming it after the street where he lived at the time. he is still its chair though he stepped back from day-to-day involvement in 2013.

He joined Iceland, which his father Malcolm Walker had founded in 1970, after his father regained control of the company in 2012. He worked on the shop floor and in store management before becoming managing director.

In March 2019, Walker became one of 127 new members to join the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders program.

In 2021 he published The Green Grocer, which recounted his career and his ideas about business and the environment. Chris Packham described it as "A remarkable insight: honest, pragmatic, hopeful and realistic", and the Financial Times' reviewer called it "an honest and positive book".

In January 2023, Walker was appointed as executive chairman of Iceland as his father Malcolm Walker was due to step down, during this time Richard Walker also stated he will be taking over as chair of the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation.

Politics
In 2023, he revealed he was a Conservative Party candidate to stand for election to the House of Commons. He later quit the party and labelled it 'out of touch' and withdrew from the list of potential MPs. In January 2024, Walker announced that he would be supporting Labour leader Keir Starmer to be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Charity Fundraising
In May 2023, Richard Walker successfully summited Everest with the aim of raising £1 million for The National Brain Appeal. His efforts were directed towards establishing the world’s first Rare Dementia Support Centre. Walker was accompanied by renowned mountaineer Kenton Cool, who has now achieved a record 17 ascents of Everest.

Walker embarked on this expedition in honor of his mother, Lady Walker, who was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s over ten years ago.

The funds raised from this endeavor were allocated to the development of a pioneering center dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by inherited, atypical, and young-onset dementias.

This climb also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Iceland Food Charitable Foundation. The Foundation is integral to Iceland Foods' commitment to philanthropy, encapsulated in their ‘Doing it Right’ philosophy. Presently, the Foundation focuses on dementia, the environment, wellbeing, and children.

To date, it has raised over £37 million to advance dementia diagnosis, improve treatments, and ultimately find a cure.

Controversy
Walker has been the subject of criticism for espousing environmental values while engaging in practices such as using a company helicopter for travel purposes.

Recognition
In 2021, Walker was made an honorary fellow of University College London.

Walker was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to business and the environment.