WASHINGTON — National Retail Federation here said Tuesday it has named food wholesaling veteran David French senior vice president for government relations.
As chief lobbyist, French will be responsible for developing and implementing advocacy strategy for NRF. He most recently held a similar position at the International Franchise Association, and before that he led the government-relations programs at the International Foodservice Distributors Association and Food Distributors International.
“David is one of the most experienced and influential lobbyists in Washington today,” said Matthew Shay, president and chief executive officer, NRF. “He has what it takes to lead our new government relations department and take our nationally recognized advocacy efforts to an entirely new level.”
NRF said it is seeking to become more active in legislative and policy issues. In the coming months, the association said it plans to add additional staff for its government relations team and create a new communications and public affairs department to support its lobbying activity.
