Re_Set appoints Sue Garrard as Associate Partner

London-based boutique strategy consultancy Re_Set has appointed a new Associate Partner as it braces for accelerated client demand in the coming months. Sustainability expert Sue Garrard joins the firm following almost a decade as an executive with fast moving consumer goods group Unilever, where she was Executive Vice President for Sustainable Business Development and Communications.

Amid an age of rapid technological advancement, innovation is currently seen by many companies as a kind of holy grail which can deliver improved performance and results, while ultimately cutting costs. Digital transformation is particularly viewed as increasingly important to the future prosperity of any business, leading the digital transformation consulting market to boom to a value of more than $44 billion, as clients seek external assistance with transformations.

Re_Set is a strategy consultancy specialising in innovation and transformation work, based at Somerset House in London. Established in 2018 by Sophie Albizua and James Bidwell, the firm caters to the innovation and transformation needs of UK businesses looking to prepare for an uncertain future. Since its launch, the consultancy has enjoyed rapid success, building its client base and reputation in the transformation segment over the past two years, and reporting record growth as the consultancy scales to address the issues of modern business leaders.

Now, as the boutique strategy firm prepares for a heightened work-load in 2020 – with many clients looking to use technology to insulate themselves from the headwinds of Brexit and a global economic slowdown – the firm has announced the appointment of a new Associate Partner. Sue Garrard, a global expert in sustainability and climate change, arrives at the firm as one of the world's leading expert practitioners in developing sustainability strategies in major companies and aligning them with business objectives.

James Bidwell Co-Founder Re_Set commented on the news, “Sue Garrard is a class act. We are absolutely thrilled to be working with her and it is crystal clear that successful businesses of the future will have both sustainability and plans to address the climate crisis at the core of their strategy. Sue’s deep expertise, not only in the subject matter but her ability to bring this to life at scale to motivate both teams and customers is a huge asset to Re_Set and our clients. Society and capitalism as we know it, is in dire need of a reset and we are delighted to be joined by Sue on our journey to help make this happen.”

Garrard herself added, “Re_Set is a dynamic and fast growing consultancy whose founders are not only breaking the mould but are also outstandingly talented. The opportunity to work alongside James and Sophie to help companies get to the future faster, and be a part of the solution for the crises of our time; the linked and man-made issues of climate, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, plastics pollution, water scarcity and food scarcity, is exceptional.”

Garrard joins Re_Set following eight years as Executive Vice President for Sustainable Business and Communications at Unilever, working alongside Paul Polman prior to his exit earlier in 2019. Garrard was part of the five-strong executive team, led by Polman, which rebuffed a hostile bid from Kraft Heinz, and handled the aftermath.

Both have since left the company, and at the start of 2019, Garrard established her own consultancy business, Sue Garrard Consulting – with clients currently including Anglo American, Lloyds Banking Group, and Danone – which will continue alongside her new role with Re_Set. Meanwhile, Polman – the Dutchman who ran Unilever for almost a decade with a social slant – also recently launched his own consultancy, named Imagine. The group is a foundation and corporation which will work with companies to press ahead with global goals for sustainable development.