WESTPORT — Alex Amouyel, executive director of MIT Solve, has been named the president and chief executive officer of the Newman’s Own Foundation, the charity established by the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, a longtime Westport resident.

Amouyel takes the helm of Newman’s Own as it reported last year it surpassed $600 million in charitable donations since it was established by the actor in 1982. The foundation’s donations represent 100 percent of the profits from sales of Newman’s Own food and beverages, according to a press statement.

Amouyel succeeds Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D., who is retiring after three years in the post.

Her professional background spans more than 15 years of “in social impact work … a record of supporting social innovators around learning, health and economic development, including with U.S. Indigenous communities,” the foundation said.

“I have been so inspired by the work of Newman’s Own Foundation, in particular, their collaborative and trusting approach with partners,” Amouyel said in the foundation’s release, “and I look forward to continuing Paul Newman’s legacy of  giving it all away to support impactful organizations.”

As executive director of MIT Solve, she oversaw its “mission to drive innovation to solve world challenges.”

Previously, Amouyel was program director for the Clinton Global Initiative. She also worked for Save the Children International in London, as well as in Asia, Middle East and Haiti, and at the Boston Consulting Group. 

She holds a double master’s degree in international affairs from Sciences Po in Paris and the London School of Economics, and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, natural sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge, U.K. 

She is the author of “The Answer is You: A Guidebook to Creating a Life Full of Impact.”

“Newman’s Own Foundation is thrilled to welcome Alex Amouyel as its new president and CEO,” Michael Clayton, chairman of the Newman’s Own Foundation board, said in the press statement.

“Across her career, Alex has brought together brilliant minds and scalable resources to tackle the world’s biggest challenges,” he added. “We are highly confident in her abilities to carry on Paul Newman’s legacy, accelerating our impact as we nourish and transform the lives of children who face adversity.”