Date: 02/18/2026
PAUL LISTER JOINS GLOBAL FAIRNESS INITIATIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Distinguished ESG leader brings the voice of the private sector to GFI Board
Washington, DC – The Global Fairness Initiative (GFI) has announced that Paul Lister will be joining the GFI Board of Directors. Paul Lister is Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary at Associated British Foods plc, where he leads their multi-national legal team and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives.
“Paul is a unique leader who is deeply committed to improving the lives of workers in the formal and informal economy,” said Global Fairness Initiative Founder Karen Tramontano. “He shares GFI’s vision for advancing decent work, and I am thrilled to have him join the Board.”
Paul oversees ESG strategy at the ABF Group, a leading food and clothing retail business in the UK which encompasses beloved brands such as Primark, Twinings and Ovaltine. His role involves setting the Group’s ESG policies and standards to ensure that parties across the supply chain meet the ABF Code for ethical practices. He is a dedicated advocate for legislation to improve standards in supply chains, and he engages regularly with the UK government and other governments on legal matters, including supply chain law.
“I am delighted to welcome Paul Lister to the GFI Board of Directors,” said Dr. Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi and GFI Board Chairperson. “His leadership in ensuring ethical supply chains is a model for the private sector, and I look forward to working with him.”
The Global Fairness Initiative is an international NGO that works to create a more fair, sustainable approach to economic development, and to make our global economy work for those who need it most − the world’s working poor. For over twenty years GFI has steadily built a track record of success through innovative programs to reduce poverty, enfranchise workers, and ensure that communities of promise become centers of prosperity.
ABOUT PAUL LISTER
Paul Lister is Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary at Associated British Foods plc, one of the UK’s largest food and clothing retail businesses. He leads ABF’s multi-award winning legal team, which comprises over 130 lawyers in 15 countries.
Paul is responsible for ESG across the ABF Group, including setting the Group’s strategy, policies and the ABF Code of Conduct, which sets out the standards required of all those supplying ABF and its businesses. He established Primark’s Ethical Trade and Environmental Sustainability Team over 16 years ago to monitor standards in the retailer’s supply chain and ensure that ethical standards are met. The team carries out over 3,000 audits of Primark’s suppliers’ factories every year against the internationally-recognised standards set out in the Primark Code of Conduct.
Paul engages regularly with the UK government and other governments on legal matters, including supply chain law. He is an advocate of the introduction of legislation aimed at improving standards in supply chains and levelling the playing field for companies. He has been called to give evidence at Parliamentary Select Committees on supply chain transparency and on the social and environmental impact of the fashion industry. He has presented extensively on supply chains, including at the World Bank conference, G20 Finance Ministers meeting and at leading universities.
Prior to joining ABF in January 2001, Paul was Associate General Counsel of Diageo plc and has a law degree from University College London.