Nigel Sizer named CEO of The Good Food Institute

The Good Food Institute (GFI) has appointed Nigel Sizer as its new Chief Executive Officer, bringing a globally recognized leader in nature, climate, and public health to the forefront of the alternative protein movement. Sizer formally assumed the role on 26 August, leading GFI’s operations in the United States and coordinating closely with its teams across Asia Pacific, Brazil, Europe, Japan, India, and Israel.

Sizer is best known for his tenure as president and CEO of the Rainforest Alliance, where he guided one of the world’s most prominent biodiversity nonprofits. He also served as global director of forests at the World Resources Institute, where he helped launch Global Forest Watch, the Global Restoration Initiative, and the Forest Legality Alliance – programs that continue to shape conservation policy and practice worldwide.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Sizer founded Preventing Pandemic at the Source, a coalition of 20 organizations advocating for upstream policies to reduce pandemic risk. His career has spanned 15 years based in the Global South, working with Rare, the United Nations Environment Programme, The Nature Conservancy, and other nonprofit boards focused on the intersection of climate, biodiversity, and public health.

In his new role, Sizer will oversee all aspects of GFI’s operations and administration in close partnership with founder and president Bruce Friedrich and the organization’s global network of regional directors. GFI is structured as an international think tank and action hub, advancing science, policy, industry, and philanthropy to make alternative proteins more accessible, affordable, and sustainable.

Sizer’s appointment comes at a time when demand for meat and seafood continues to rise worldwide, placing enormous strain on farmers, land, and marine ecosystems. With limited farmland, diminishing ocean fish stocks, and compounding pressures from drought, wildfires, deforestation, bird flu, and food insecurity, global food systems are facing challenges on multiple fronts.

“After years quantifying the land use, health, and climate damage of commodity animal agriculture, I am convinced that alternative proteins are the single most powerful opportunity to curb deforestation, biodiversity loss, pandemic risk, and greenhouse gas emissions,” Sizer said. “How we feed humanity without destroying nature, and in ways that enable a greater diversity of life to thrive, deserves north star focus. GFI’s theory of change, its global network, and its catalytic efforts across science, policy, industry, and philanthropy are critical. I’m honored to be joining this team of change-makers.”

Alternative proteins – whether derived from plants, cultivated from animal cells, or enabled through fermentation – are increasingly recognized as central to addressing climate, health, and food security goals. Diversifying protein production, advocates argue, can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, limit land and water use, and curb the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture. Governments in multiple regions are beginning to include alternative proteins in food security, climate, and bioeconomy strategies, though progress remains uneven and often slower than needed.

GFI board chair Vandhana Bala said Sizer’s appointment reflects the organization’s commitment to scaling its impact at a pivotal moment for food system transformation.

“Nigel’s breadth and depth of experience across climate, nature, and global health, combined with his deep expertise in nonprofit management, science, and policy, will help GFI continue to grow its impact in the U.S. and around the world,” Bala said. “His focus on building and sustaining healthy, vibrant teams of people and ambitious collaborations working with shared purpose were key in his prior success, and will continue to serve him, GFI, and the broader alternative protein ecosystem really well in the work ahead.”

Friedrich, who founded GFI in 2016 and now serves as president, underscored the alignment between Sizer’s career and GFI’s mission.

“Nigel Sizer has spent his career addressing the root causes of some of the biggest challenges of our time – a major motivation that drew him to GFI, our mission, and our theory of change,” Friedrich said. “With each disruption to our global food system, and demand for meat on the rise in virtually every economy in the world, the links between agriculture, climate, biodiversity, public health, and malnutrition become ever more clear. Nigel joining us as CEO is not just a win for GFI, but for the alt protein field writ large and for humanity’s future.”

Based in Washington, D.C., GFI operates as a nonprofit think tank funded entirely by private philanthropy. The organization supports open-access research, mobilizes resources and talent, and builds partnerships across the food sector with the goal of creating a more sustainable and secure protein supply.

Sizer’s leadership marks a new chapter for GFI as it deepens its work at the nexus of science, policy, and market development. His appointment brings together decades of global experience in protecting forests, reducing climate risk, and improving public health with GFI’s mission to transform protein production.

With rising global demand for protein and mounting environmental pressures, the challenge is formidable. But for Sizer, who has dedicated his career to protecting ecosystems while advancing human wellbeing, leading GFI represents both a continuation of that mission and an opportunity to apply it at the scale of the global food system.