After six years of leadership, Mary Popple has retired from her role as Chair of the True Origin Board to assume the role as an ordinary board member. She leaves a legacy of steadfast, values-led leadership, resilience and commitment to Fair Trade during a period of significant transition for the social enterprise.
First appointed to the True Origin Board in 2013, Mary became the first woman to take on the role of Chair in April 2019. Her journey into the position was shaped by a successful career in the IT industry and a passion for Fair Trade. Mary was an active member of the influential St Andrews Fair Trade group which successfully campaigned to designate the town as a Fairtrade area, and for The Open Golf championship to become the first UK sports tournament to commit to using Fairtrade products. This was complemented with over twenty years’ experience of involvement in other trade justice and development opportunities for women.
During her six-year tenure as Chair of the True Origin board, Mary strategically led the social enterprise through a challenging external environment at a challenging time for many small businesses. Less than a year into her new role, the Covid pandemic emerged, causing significant uncertainty for staff, producers and customers as well as disruption in global supply chains. The war in Ukraine and cost-of-living crisis soon followed.
Despite the challenges, under Mary’s leadership, True Origin generated over £2.3million in sales income that included £733,000 worth of Kilombero rice from Malawi. That’s equivalent to 245 tonnes or nearly 5 million servings of rice! The sale of the rice provides families in Malawi, one of the least developed countries in the world, with sustainable incomes and better food security.
Mary played an instrumental role in rolling out the social enterprise’s rebrand and positioning the organisation as the go-to place for fair and fine products under the new True Origin banner. The product range subsequently increased during her tenure, solidifying True Origin’s reputation in the fine foods market. New products included a range of condiments such the soon-to-become both a customer favourite and one of Mary’s favourite products, sun-dried fig balsamic reduction as well as the popular beer bread of which over 150,000 packets were sold during her term.
Mary’s leadership as Chair will also be remembered for her values-led approach, guiding the organisation to decisions with its founding fair trade principles in mind and the interests of producers always at the forefront. She invested time in expanding the board’s skillset and further developing the organisation’s robust governance procedures, upholding True Origin’s commitment to transparency with its stakeholders and leaving the organisation in a strong position to tackle future challenges. She also brought an instinctive knowledge of Fair Trade customers in Scotland and beyond to the role.
Reflecting on her tenure, Mary said:
“There is no doubt in my mind that we would not have weathered the difficulties we’ve faced l if we hadn't focussed on resilience in the last few years. Resilience comes from working with an absolutely brilliant staff team led by Tracy.
'I’m proud of putting in place a board and team whose members are wholly committed to giving their time and experience to support the team and ensure the business success. It has been a privilege for me to work with so many inspiring people. Thank you team and Board for being a great set of people to work with.”
"One of my greatest highlights was the Scottish Fair Trade Supporters' Day visit to the warehouse in 2024. It was inspiring to see so many people experience firsthand how True Origin works and the difference we’re making. The feedback was uplifting, and the dedication shown by the Board Members to bring this event to life under such challenging circumstances was incredibly positive."
Tracy Mitchell, Managing Director of True Origin, said:
“Mary’s dedication, wisdom and leadership have been invaluable to True Origin, especially during some of the most challenging times in our history. Through this time, she has steered the organisation into new markets to bring on new customers and successfully build our brand. Above all, Mary has brought humour, dignity and resilience to the team and role. She’s a true ambassador for True Origin, Her contributions will continue to influence True Origin for years to come and we’re extremely grateful she will continue serving on the board.”
Mary chaired her last board meeting on 3 March and stays on as an ordinary board member.
The board of trustees, staff and volunteers warmly welcome the appointment of Alistair Menzies as Chair.
Mary said: “ I hope Alistair enjoys the role as much as I have. I am delighted he is taking it on.”
Colleen Tait
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