Phil Radford

Phil Radford
Radford in 2011
Born
Philip David Radford

(1976-01-02) January 2, 1976
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationWashington University in St. Louis (BA)[1]
OccupationsPresident and CEO, Consumer Reports
Known forPresident and CEO, Consumer Reports

Philip David Radford is an American consumer and conservation advocate who is the president and CEO of Consumer Reports,[2][3] a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works with consumers to foster truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace.[4][5][6] Radford began his career working with nonpartisan organizations such as the Public Interest Research Group and Public Citizen, focusing on consumer protection, fair trade, and public health initiatives.[7] He is the former executive director of Greenpeace USA[8][9] and former chief strategy officer at Sierra Club.[2][3]

Early life and education

Radford began his civic engagement as a high school student at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, organizing the shutdown of trash incinerators in the West Side of Chicago.[10]

While attending Washington University in St. Louis, he directed campaigns and canvass offices for environmental and human rights organizations.[11] After college, Radford had a fellowship at Green Corps, which trains young grassroots organizers.[12]

Radford earned his bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1998.[1][9][12]

Career

Over the course of his career, Radford's approach to creating change has moved from activism to a more collaborative, solutions-based approach.[13] He initially gained prominence through tactics aimed at pressuring corporations and policymakers,[14][11][15] but since has used more pragmatic and collaborative methods[16][17] that are inline with his desire for people to be safer, healthier, and wealthier.[2]

Ozone Action

From 1999 to 2001 Radford was field director organizing grassroots campaigns for Ozone Action, an organization working on with global warming and ozone depletion.[18][19]

Radford also managed the grassroots mobilization for the Global Warming Divestiture Campaign, which resulted in Ford, General Motors, Texaco, and other companies ending their funding of the Global Climate Coalition, which spread misinformation about global warming.[20]

Power Shift

In 2001, Radford founded Power Shift,[7] a non-governmental organization dedicated to driving sustainable energy market breakthroughs and building the grassroots base to stop global warming.[21]

As executive director of Power Shift,[11] Radford worked with the California cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, and Berkeley, as well as nine other municipalities, to secure investments for installation of solar energy systems and implementation of energy efficiency measures in municipal buildings.[7] Radford also helped to convince Citigroup to adopt innovative new means of financing sustainable energy infrastructure for wind and solar installations that made them affordable to average Americans.[22][19]

Greenpeace USA

On his first day as Greenpeace executive director, Radford participated in a protest of government inaction on climate change at the State Department.
Radford arrested outside the White House during the Keystone XL Pipeline protest

In 2009, at the age of 33, Radford was promoted from grassroots director to become the youngest executive director ever of Greenpeace.[14][23] During his tenure at Greenpeace USA, Radford collaborated with over 100 corporations to improve their environmental practices,[2] focusing on joint efforts to enhance sustainability and corporate responsibility,[24] increasing the organization's net income by 80%;[25] growing the organization's grassroots and canvass programs;[25] and serving as a founder of the Democracy Initiative.[26][15] In September 2013, Radford announced that he would step down on April 30, 2014, once he had completed five years of service as executive director.[27][28]

PPL

After leaving Greenpeace, Radford launched PPL, which starts and manages organizations that work to move millions of dollars and people into charitable causes. Through PPL, Radford launched the Progressive Multiplier Fund,[29] Membership Drive, a Salesforce app developer[30] which built apps including The Field,[31] and Champion.us, a donor advisor firm for small donors focused on democracy and conservation issues.[32]

Sierra Club

In 2023, Radford joined Sierra Club as chief strategy officer where he led the nonprofit environmental group to update organizational strategy, marketing, and policy campaigns.[2][3]

Consumer Reports

In February 2025, Radford joined Consumer Reports as president and CEO.[2][3]

Influencing corporations

Radford has been part of initiatives to influence corporations including the Global Climate Coalition,[33] Citigroup,[19][34] Kimberley-Clark,[35][36] Asia Pulp and Paper,[37] and the tech industry.[38][39] During Radford's tenure at Greenpeace, his theory of change shifted from viewing governments as arbitrators between public and private interests on environmental issues, to believing that engagement with companies first could lead to better policy. Through his career, he has worked with large companies to change their practices and become allies in pushing for improvements.[40][13] Examples include Greenpeace campaigns that convinced Apple Inc. and other tech companies to shift to 100% sustainable energy and lobby utilities and regulators to make that possible.[38][39]

Global Climate Coalition

Radford led a national divestment/disinvestment campaign, that resulted in the dissolution of the Global Climate Coalition.[33]

Citigroup

In 2001, while running Power Shift, Radford launched a campaign to push Citibank to offer and promote Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs).[41] In 2004, Citigroup agreed to offer and promote EEMs for residential wind, energy efficiency, and solar installations that would make sustainable energy affordable for millions of Americans.[42][34]

Kimberly-Clark

Radford oversaw the grassroots mobilization efforts on the Kleercut Campaign in the United States and, later, the entire U.S. component of the global campaign when he became Greenpeace's executive director,[35] engaging Kimberly-Clark for sourcing 22% of its paper pulp from Canadian boreal forests containing 200-year-old trees. The campaign included intervening in Kleenex commercial shoots,[43] convincing twenty-two universities and colleges to take action such as cancelling contracts,[44][45] recruiting 500 companies to boycott Kimberly-Clark, over 1,000 protests of the company, and more.[45][46] On August 5, 2009, Kimberly-Clark announced that it would source 40% of its paper fiber from recycled content or other sustainable sources – a 71% increase from 2007 levels.[47] The demand created by Kimberly-Clark for sustainably logged fiber was greater than the supply, enabling the company to convince logging companies to change their practices.[48]

Asia Pulp and Paper

From 2010 to 2013, Radford managed the Greenpeace team that persuaded more than 100 U.S. companies to cancel their contracts with Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) convincing APP to focus on deforestation in Southeast Asia.[49][28] In February 2013, Asia Pulp and Paper announced a conservation policy protecting Indonesian rainforests.[50]

Tech industry

On April 21, 2011, Greenpeace released a report highlighting data centers, which consumed up to 2% of all global electricity and this amount was projected to increase. Radford stated "we are concerned that this new explosion in electricity use could lock us into old, polluting energy sources instead of the clean energy available today."[51] Business Insider reported that after Greenpeace USA campaigns, "tech giants like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Salesforce have promised to power their data centers with renewable energy, a pledge that led Duke Energy, the nation's largest power utility and one of the most flagrant emitters of CO2, to begin providing clean energy to win their business."[13]

Deforestation

In 2014, deforestation in Indonesia, which accounts for 0.1% of the world's surface, caused 4% of global warming pollution. One of the major drivers of deforestation was clearing the forest to grow palm oil plantations.[13] Under Radford, the Greenpeace USA team persuaded Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive, Mondelez, and other major companies to demand sustainably grown palm oil.[52][53]

U.S. supermarkets

Radford led a Greenpeace campaign to convince supermarket chains to stop selling threatened fish, adopt sustainable seafood policies, and lobby for policies such as marine reserves to protect the oceans. Walmart, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Safeway Inc., Wegmans, Target, Harris Teeter, Meijer, and Kroger implemented sustainable seafood purchasing policies to begin selling sustainable seafood.[13][54][55] Trader Joe's, Aldi, Costco, Target Corporation, and A&P reduced the threatened fish that they sell; Whole Foods, Safeway Inc., Trader Joe's, Walmart, and Hy-Vee introduced sustainably caught canned tuna;[56][57] and Wegmans, Whole Foods, Safeway Inc., Target, and Trader Joe's have lobbied for strong ocean policies.[54][55]

Bibliography

Articles (partial list)

References

  1. ^ a b "Washington University in St. Louis Magazine, Classmates Issue". Washington University in St. Louis Magazine. Archived from the original on January 17, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Roush, Chris (January 30, 2025). "Consumer Reports hires Radford as its new CEO". Talking Biz News. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d Bravender, Robin (January 30, 2025). "E&E News: Sierra Club announces staff shuffle". Politico Pro. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  4. ^ "Phil Radford". Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  5. ^ "Phil Radford Named President & CEO of Consumer Reports". Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  6. ^ Salvucci, Jeremy (August 2, 2024). "Consumer Reports: The product-testing nonprofit explained". TheStreet. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c "Phillip D. Radford, Greenpeace, Executive Director". Fund for the Public Interest. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  8. ^ Overby, Peter (February 13, 2014). "'Citizens United' Critics Fight Money With Money". NPR. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  9. ^ a b "Eileen Simpson, Philip Radford". The New York Times. July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  10. ^ "Oak Park and River Forest High School Tradition of Excellence Past Award Recipients". Oak Park and River Forest High School. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Makower, Joel (February 10, 2014). "Exit Interview: Phil Radford, Greenpeace". Trellis. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Geman, Ben (April 15, 2009). "Greenpeace appoints veteran organizer to its top post - NYTimes.com". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d e How A 'Bunch Of Commies' Are Forcing The Fortune 500 To Stop Destroying Rain Forests, Killing Too Many Fish, And Burning Coal and Oil. Business Insider. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Greenpeace out: Parting shots from a battle hardened climate leader". Grist.org. January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Hertsgaard, Mark (January 30, 2013). "Climate Activists Put the Heat on Obama" (PDF). The Nation. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  16. ^ Clancy, Heather (February 20, 2014). "Partnerships: Strange bedfellows or matches made in heaven?". Trellis. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  17. ^ "From burning platform to building people power: Lessons from Greenpeace's Mobilisation Lab". MobLab. February 17, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  18. ^ "Canvassing Works". Canvassing Works. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  19. ^ a b c Sheppard, Kate (April 14, 2009). "Greenpeace taps 33-year-old grassroots organizer as its new leader". Grist. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  20. ^ Revkin, Andrew C. (April 24, 2009). "Industry Ignored Its Scientists on Climate". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  21. ^ "Power Shift". Volunteermatch.org. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
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  24. ^ "Paper Giant Pledges to Leave the Poor Rainforest Alone. Finally. Asia Pulp & Paper—the notorious destroyer of pristine tiger and orangutan habitat—says it's changing its ways". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  25. ^ a b Sheppard, Kate (February 12, 2014). "Phil Radford Reflects On His Time Leading Greenpeace USA". HuffPost. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  26. ^ "Revealed: The Massive New Liberal Plan to Remake American Politics". Mother Jones. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  27. ^ "Greenpeace Leader Moving On at 38". National Journal. December 19, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  28. ^ a b "'Story of Stuff' creator Annie Leonard will lead Greenpeace USA". GreenBiz. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on May 7, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  29. ^ "As Nonprofits Struggle, "Progressive Stimulus" Will Back Fundraising Innovations". American Non-Profit Academy. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  30. ^ "Philip Radford". Skoll Foundation. January 28, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  31. ^ "The Field: Mapping, Routing, Geolocation, Territory Management, & Maps". Salesforce. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  32. ^ "About CHAMPION". www.champion.us. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Timeline: Fossil Fuels Divestment | Magazine | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  34. ^ a b "Citigroup Agrees To RAN Demands". Indybay. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  35. ^ a b "Greenpeace's new leader talks up need for a green grassroots". Grist.org. April 15, 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  36. ^ Gell, Aaron. "The Inside Story Of How Greenpeace Built A Corporate Spanking Machine To Turn The Fortune 500 Into Climate Heroes". Business Insider. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  37. ^ Butler, Rhett (February 5, 2013). "The beginning of the end of deforestation in Indonesia?". Conservation news. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  38. ^ a b Frangoul, Anmar (January 10, 2017). "Apple the greenest tech company in the world: Greenpeace". CNBC. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  39. ^ a b "Tech Companies Are Moving To 100% Clean Energy, Some Faster Than Others". Fast Company. May 13, 2015. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  40. ^ "What Greenpeace's New Strategy Means for Investors". CleanTechIQ. January 24, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  41. ^ "Last Call: In Person with Ben Winters, Save the Ales". In These Times. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  42. ^ "Citigroup Sets New Environmental Standards" (Press release). Environmental News Service. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  43. ^ "Kleenex Gets Punk'd". Greenpeace. March 30, 2007. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  44. ^ "2005–2009 – Kleercut-Free Campuses and Victory!". Greenpeace. Greenpeace. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  45. ^ a b "Exclusive: How Kimberly-Clark Ditched its Forest-Destroying Reputation and Embraced Greenpeace". Fast Company. January 18, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  46. ^ Mui, Ylan Q. (February 16, 2008). "More Than Tissues in a Box of Kleenex". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  47. ^ "Forest Friendly 500". Greenpeace. Archived from the original on April 5, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  48. ^ Kaufman, Leslie (August 5, 2009). "Greenpeace and Kimberly-Clark Settle Feud". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  49. ^ Schonhardt, Sara (February 5, 2013). "Paper Producer to Stop Clearing of Indonesian Forests". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  50. ^ "Paper Giant Pledges to Leave the Poor Rainforest Alone. Finally". Mother Jones. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  51. ^ "Dirty Data Report Card" (PDF). Greenpeace. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  52. ^ Greenpeace rates companies' zero deforestation commitments. Monga Bay. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  53. ^ Mondelez Announces Palm Oil Action Plan. Confectionery News. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  54. ^ a b "Whole Foods, Safeway, Trader Joe's Top Sustainable Seafood List". Environmental Leader. May 31, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  55. ^ a b "Where to Buy the Best Fish". Rodale News. Archived from the original on September 12, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  56. ^ Bob-Siegel (June 4, 2014). "Greenpeace Reviews Major Food Retailers for Sustainable Seafood Purchasing=2014-06-04". Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit. Triple Pundit.
  57. ^ "Trader Joe's tops Greenpeace rankings". www.seafoodsource.com. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
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