End Food Waste Australia (EFWA) has appointed Wendy Hughes as its Chief Executive Officer following a three-month period in the role of Acting CEO.
The appointment comes as the organisation continues working with industry, government and its Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) partners to support Australia’s target of halving food waste by 2030.
EFWA Chair Geoff Starr said Hughes had demonstrated the leadership needed to guide the organisation through its next phase of work.
“Wendy has quickly built strong relationships across our industry, government and CRC partners, helping ensure research is translated into outcomes that benefit businesses, communities and the environment,” Starr said.
“Her experience in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and policy makes her well placed to lead the organisation as we step up action on food waste across Australia.”
Hughes joined EFWA in April 2025 as Director of Policy, Communications and Strategic Engagement, and has since contributed to strengthening collaboration across the food system.
According to EFWA, Hughes brings more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning government, agribusiness, higher education and the not-for-profit sector. Prior to joining the organisation, she served as chief executive officer of COUCH and held senior advocacy and leadership positions in regional Queensland.
Hughes said addressing food waste would be an important part of building a stronger food system.
“We can’t talk about the future of food in Australia without talking about food waste,” she said.
“When food is discarded, we lose the value, effort and resources invested in producing it. Food waste costs Australia around 1.4 per cent of GDP and remains a major inefficiency in our food system.”
She said reducing food waste presented opportunities across economic, social and environmental areas.
“Reducing food waste is one of the clearest opportunities we have to improve food security, strengthen the economy and reduce environmental impacts,” Hughes said.
“I’m proud to lead EFWA as we work with industry, government and our CRC partners to turn knowledge into action and scale solutions that deliver real impact.”
As Chief Executive Officer, Hughes will lead EFWA’s national efforts to reduce food waste through collaboration across the food system.
