Just Eat co-founder named ‘cost of living business’ tsar

The co-founder of Just Eat has been made the government’s new “cost of living business tsar”, stated reports on Monday (13).

David Buttress, the former chief executive of the takeaway delivery app, will work in a new unpaid government role to assist companies in developing schemes to help people struggling with rising prices.

Buttress will join education secretary Nadhim Zahawi on Tuesday at a meeting with supermarkets and sports organisations to discuss what assistance can be offered through a range of initiatives such as the government’s holiday activities and food programme, reports said.

Announcing the appointment, Steve Barclay, Boris Johnson’s chief of staff, said Buttress would bring a “wealth of experience” and the “vigour and ingenuity of business” to the role

“Businesses and organisations across the country have stepped up time and time again when the nation needs it most. The financial pressures people are facing as a result of current global challenges will be no different,” he said.

Buttress is reported to have made £17.4 million by selling off chunks of his stake in the lucrative food delivery firm between 2016 and 2017, when he stepped down as CEO. Just Eat merged with Takeaway.com in 2020, in a deal worth £5.9 billion to investors.

In addition to his role at Just Eat, Buttress is listed as a venture partner at global venture capital firm 83North. He has also “dabbled” as an angel investor in nearly a dozen companies, and has previously been recognised as one of the UK’s 500 most influential people by Debretts.