Gibbon-Walsh has served in the role on an interim basis since October 2024, replacing George Wright when he stepped down.
Prior to taking on the role of interim CEO, Gibbon-Walsh spent a year and a half as chief operating officer at the charity.
Additionally, Dominic Blakemore has been named as FareShare’s chair of trustees following the announcement that John Bason will be stepping down from the role after 13 years.
Bason oversaw the significant expansion of FareShare during his tenure, with the charity now redistributing food to more than a million people in the UK every year.
Blakemore, who is also the CEO of global food service company Compass Group, is an existing member of the FareShare board of trustees and has played a central role in shaping key partnerships in recent years, including the Coronation Food Project.
“I would like to thank George Wright for his support and advice, it is an honour to take on the role of CEO at FareShare,” said Gibbon-Walsh.
“Having started at FareShare as a volunteer at one of our warehouses over a decade ago, I truly understand how the surplus food we redistribute changes lives. The food and logistic sectors have been brilliant partners over the last 30 years and the 8,000 charities we distribute to are at the heart of our mission, using surplus food to bring people together and strengthen communities. I am excited and optimistic that we can do even more together.”
Meanwhile, Blakemore said that he was excited to continue working alongside Gibbon-Walsh in further FareShare’s mission.
“I would like to thank John on behalf of all of the trustees on the Board for his incredible service over the past 13 years,” he added.
“He has chaired us with passion, commitment and integrity throughout this time and has been integral to all that has been achieved. I’m delighted to be working with Kris, whose deep-seated knowledge of FareShare and its partner network – and incredible personal commitment to the purpose of FareShare – is at the heart of all he does.”
The announcement comes at the end of FareShare’s 30th anniversary, a record breaking year for the charity as it delivered more surplus food than ever before to its network of 8,000 local charities and community groups across the UK.
The charity now has a nationwide network of 18 partners and 35 regional warehouses.
