Paul Lister is Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary at Associated British Foods (ABF), the FTSE 100 international food, ingredients and retail group which employs 133,000 people and has operations in 53 countries across the globe. Prior to joining ABF in January 2001, Paul was Associate General Counsel of Diageo plc. He holds a law Degree from University College London and is a qualified solicitor in England & Wales.

Paul leads ABF’s legal department around the world, with over 80 lawyers in the team and lawyers in 15 countries. As such, he is responsible for the legal affairs of ABF. ABF is the parent company of Primark, a global retailer widely recognised as the destination store for the latest fashions at the best value. As a growing international business with a global supply chain, Primark works hard to ensure that its products are made with respect for workers’ rights and the environment.

Paul was responsible for establishing and leads Primark’s Ethical Trade & Environmental Sustainability Team, a team of over 120 experts based in Primark’s key sourcing countries. Primark’s Ethical Trade & Environmental Sustainability Team carries out over 3,000 audits of its suppliers’ factories every year against the internationally-recognised standards as set out in the Primark Code of Conduct, monitoring that Primark products are made with respect for workers’ rights and the environment.