Rebecca Burgess

Listed in Management Today’s 35 Women Under 35 list 2020, the longest-running, most prestigious list of young, female business talent in the UK, Rebecca is an accomplished leader.

Rebecca joined The Hunger Project as Country Director in April 2022, following leadership roles in sectors including climate, health, policy, and gender. Prior to this, Rebecca was Interim Director at She Changes Climate; a campaigning group calling for equal representation of women at the top levels of all climate negotiations globally.

As Chief Executive of City to Sea, she transformed the not-for-profit into a globally respected thought leader on circular economy practices.  In 2021, the organisation featured on Escape The City’s Top 100 List. Passionate about business being a force for good, she trained as a B Leader in 2017 and as Chief Engagement Officer at carbon accounting software Spherics, she oversaw their B Corp Certification.

Rebecca has also worked at globally renowned environmental consultancy Eunomia. It was through working with the European Commission on their now passed Single-Use Plastics Directive, that Rebecca felt inspired to do more in the fight against single-use plastic. 

A passionate environmentalist and advocate for gender equality and human rights, Rebecca calls for these issues to be tackled together, not separately. She also urges for the voices of those who are most impacted by climate change and poverty to be heard; something central to The Hunger Project’s global strategy. Whilst working in the charitable sector, Rebecca has won many industry awards including a Corporate Engagement Award, Utility Week Award, Better Society Award, Business in the Community ‘Big Tick’ Award, Global Good Award and Business Charity Award.

In 2019, Rebecca was listed in the WISE100, recognising the most inspiring and influential women in social enterprise, impact investment and mission-driven business. 

Rebecca moved to the Southwest of England in 2016, after 10 years shaping sector leading community programmes with a variety of companies and not-for-profits in London. She is also a Trustee at Avon Wildlife Trust, Advisor at Following the Footprints and continues to support the team at City to Sea.