Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive of Fairtrade International (FLO), was made an honorary fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge University on 15 October – the first time the college has given the honour to a woman, the FLO said in a statement.
Trinity Hall, founded in 1350, said the award recognised Lamb’s “global reach and influence as CEO of Fairtrade International and her commitment to social justice,” according to the statement.
Lamb, aged 52, read political science at Trinity Hall in 1979-1981, before doing development work with the untouchable caste in India.
She joined Fairtrade International in 1997 with the aim of improving life for banana growers in central America and became Chief Executive in 2012.
Professor Martin Daunton, Master of Trinity Hall, said in the statement that the college prided itself on its engagement with its alumni and with the wider world.
“Many of its alumni are active in public life around the world and we are delighted that Harriet Lamb will be more closely involved with our community,” he said.“ As Executive Director and subsequently Chief Executive, she has raised the profile of the organisation, an organisation that Trinity Hall is committed to support. We support her commitment to social justice.”
Lamb praised Fairtrade producers, as well as campaigners across the UK for putting Fairtrade on the map, including students and staff at Cambridge University and the Cambridge Fairtrade Group.
There are 37 honorary fellows of the college.
