Richard Lloyd to leave consumer champion Which?

Which? today announced that its Executive Director, Richard Lloyd, is to step down in May after five years.

Richard joined Which? in April 2011, and since then has become a familiar public face of the organisation, campaigning and giving advice to millions through countless media appearances.

Richard has led the renewal of Which? as a strong, visible, consumer champion working for all consumers. In the last five years he has overseen:

  • a series of high profile, public campaigns, regularly backed by hundreds of thousands of people, that challenge decision makers to make positive changes for all consumers
  • the promotion of a greater focus on consumers’ interests by regulators and government, most notably with the new Consumer Rights Act and a series of major investigations into the energy, banking and telecoms markets
  • greater challenge of, and engagement with, big businesses by Which?, from supermarkets to energy suppliers and banks, to help them to improve their practices
  • a wider range of free information and advice on consumer rights provided by Which?, reaching many more people, and increasing traffic by 40% year on year
  • the creation of a brand new range of free to use Which? public service websites helping people to choose their university, where to have a baby or to find care for their elderly relatives, visited over 6.3 million times in the last year.

Which? now has 1.4 million members and supporters, and in 2015 achieved turnover of £100 million for the first time enabling its charitable arm to spend a record £12 million.

Richard said:

“I am immensely proud of how many more people Which? is now helping in their daily lives, and how effectively we take the views of consumers to business leaders, ministers, regulators and the media. By standing up to powerful organisations, with the backing of so many consumers, we have brought about changes that a few years ago would have been thought impossible.

 

“I have been privileged to lead all this work and I will miss the daily contact with people running some of our biggest institutions and businesses. But most of all I will miss my extraordinary, talented teams, absolutely committed to making positive change happen.

 

“I hope that in the future I will have the opportunity to serve other groups that matter as much as Which?.”

 

Peter Vicary-Smith, Group CEO of Which?, said:

“Richard has been absolutely central to the success and prominence of Which? for half a decade. We are very grateful to him for his relentless hard work, his thought leadership and for turning a vision of what Which? could be as a consumer champion into reality. He can be rightly proud of the organisation he has done so much to develop, and we wish him well in whatever he decides to do next.”

Richard intends to take a break over the summer before pursuing a new role. He leaves Which? on 20 May.

Press Release