Former Home Depot exec to lead Forest Trust

Geneva, Switzerland-based The Forest Trust, a non-profit organization that helps businesses bring responsible products to market, has announced the appointment of Stephen Conwell as North America director of operations. He will be based in Atlanta.

Previously, Conwell spent 12 years with Home Depot where he served as divisional merchandising manager and global merchandising manager. In that role Conwell was responsible for leading the development and execution of Home Depot’s environmental/sustainability wood purchasing policy. Prior to that, Conwell was with Weyerhaeuser, where he managed customer service distribution for the Northeast U.S. market and was eventually named general manager for wood products distribution in the Northeast.

“We’re fortunate to have as our new North America director someone with extensive leadership expertise in merchandising/manufacturing best practices and global supply chain management,” said Scott Poynton, executive director of TFT. “Stephen’s ability to balance both social and economic standards and to work with stakeholders on different sides of an issue will prove crucial to TFT’s mission to help companies transform their timber supply chains and stop forest destruction.”

In his new role, Conwell will be responsible for all North American operations. He will lead their delivery activities, working with existing members to help them meet their legality and sustainability goals. He’ll also lead TFT’s business development activities to extend their services to more companies seeking support to deliver responsible products to their customers.

One of Conwell’s most important roles will be to show U.S. firms how to adhere to the Lacey Act, a century-old piece of federal legislation that was amended recently in order to stop the importation and sale of illegal wood in the United States.