Greenpeace UK Appoints First Person Of Colour As Joint Executive Director

Areeba Hamid will be the first woman and first person of colour to lead Greenpeace UK as a Joint Executive Director

Areeba Hamid (left) and Will McCallum (right) will start their new roles as Joint Executive Directors of the Greenpeace UK in October 2022.

(Photo courtesy: Greenpeace UK)

Greenpeace UK, the non-profit organization with a decades-long history, has appointed Joint Executive Directors for the first time.

Areeba Hamid and Will McCallum will fulfil the roles of Joint Executive Directors starting from October 2022 even though the appointment was finalized on 1 August, 2022.

Hamid is also the first woman and first person of colour to lead the Greenpeace operations in the UK.

Currently the Global Finance Program Director at The Sunrise Project, which is a global network that involves changemakers who aim to end all financial support for fossil fuels, Hamid is also a board member of The Joint Council for the Welfare of Migrants, according to a report by UK Fundraising.

Hamid has also performed several senior roles in other Greenpeace offices across the globe. She has been instrumental in campaigning to cease climate breakdown by aiding marine conservation, stopping expansion of coal in India and "palm oil-focused rainforest destruction in Indonesia".

Hamid was crucial in getting the banks to stop the financing of tar sands in Canada and North America.

Born in India, she will not only be the first woman but also the first person of colour to lead Greenpeace organization in the United Kingdom.

After being appointed as the Greenpeace UK co-Executive Director, Hamid expressed that it was a crucial time for the organization and for herself.

"It's a great honour and a great responsibility to lead Greenpeace at such a crucial time. I have given so much of my life to this organisation and this now feels like the most important role I will ever take on. Time is short and hope can feel hard to summon, but the movement is filled with courageous people--inside and outside of Greenpeace--who inspire Will and I to feel that change is not only possible but inevitable."

Areeba Hamid, Newly Appointed Co-Executive Director, Greenpeace UK

Will McCallum, who has also been appointed as the Joint Executive Director of Greenpeace UK alongside Hamid, has been the Head of Oceans at Greenpeace since 2015. Having led a high profile global campaign to secure a Global Oceans Treaty, McCallum, has been instrumental in creating ocean sanctuaries in international and national waters in addition to forcing the UK government to take action against destructive fishing in Marine Protected Areas.

McCallum has campaigned on a diverse spectrum of issues such as fracking, coal, oil sponsorship of the arts and equality. His book How To Give Up Plastic, has been translated into 12 languages. He is also on the board of Kaleidoscope Trust which is an LGBT+ rights organisation.

"The world right now can feel like a scary place, and we believe Greenpeace's responsibility is to present solutions that cut through the doom and gloom and show that creating a green and peaceful world in which everyone can thrive is possible. Navigating the huge changes we are facing as a society, requires us to muster all the creativity and courage we're capable of. We hope our (Areeba and I) joint leadership ushers in a new era of Greenpeace working collaboratively with all parts of the movement to bring about the world we need."

Will McCallum, Newly Appointed Co-Executive Director, Greenpeace UK