Sir David Lewis, left, has been appointed a director on the board of trustees at William and Kate’s Royal Foundation
Prince William and Princess Kate have appointed a man dubbed ‘Drastic Dave’ for his cost-cutting measures at Tesco to their team.
Sir David Lewis has joined as a director on the board of trustees at The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The foundation looks after the royal couple’s non-profit work, which supports a range of projects in areas such as conservation, mental health, early years education and homelessness.
Chaired by former Conservative party leader Lord Hague – each trustee has different responsibilities divided between strategic direction, governance, oversight and fundraising.
Sir David, 59, worked at Unilever for 27 years and launched the now widely-known Dove brand.
He became CEO of supermarket giant Tesco in 2014, after it suffered a £6.4billion loss and soon picked up the nickname ‘Drastic Dave’ for his ruthless cost-cutting methods.
Sir David slashed thousands of jobs along with boardroom perks such as private jets and two years later the supermarket giant reported annual profits of £162million.
Sir David, pictured in 2018, cut thousands of jobs at Tesco after it suffered a £6.4billion loss
(Picture: PA)
He quit in 2020, saying he wanted to spend some time with his family, but has taken on various roles with firms such as Morrisons and Pepsi since.
He was knighted for his services to business in 2021.
According to filings made to Companies House on July 2, the businessman was appointed to the Royal Foundation on June 20, reports The Express.
A royal source told the Mail Sir David’s appointment is ‘genius’ and will lay ‘strong foundations’ for Kate and William’s charity work.
A royal source said Sir David will will lay ‘strong foundations’ for William and Kate’s work (Picture: WireImage)
The Royal Foundation was set up in 2009 by William and Prince Harry and after the brothers’ marriages Kate and Meghan Markle joined in 2011 and 2018 respectively.
However, Harry and Meghan left the charity in 2019, not long before they steoped back as ‘senior royals’ and moved to the US in 2020.
On its website, the foundation claims it ‘mobilises leaders, businesses and people so that together we can address society’s greatest challenges’.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.