Bruce Alexander has become managing director, joining Carl Moore as finance director and Debbie Epstein as marketing director.
Alexander joins Montezuma’s from Kerry Group, where he spent two years. He previously held roles at Lucozade Ribena Suntory and spent 15 years at Nestlé.
‘Ambitious plans’
Carl Moore will take up the role of finance director, joining from L’Oréal where he was head of finance. He has experience in several finance roles for the likes of The Body Shop and Viacom Group. Moore said he was eager to begin with the “ambitious plans we have for the coming years”.
The role of marketing director has been filled by Debbie Epstein, who moves from Bounce Foods, where she was also marketing director for two years. Before this, she has worked as a marketing consultant for a number of smaller businesses.
Increasing their senior leadership team was part of the agreed terms of the investment according to Michael Atkinson, Inverleith’s operating and brand director.
Year of appointments
The appointments follow on from that of former Mondelēz UK boss Michael Taylor as chairman of the board of directors. Montezuma’s founders, Helen and Simon Patterson, will be retained as brand ambassadors and directors, but have stepped back from the day-to-day running of the business.
At the time of Inverleith’s investment, Montezuma’s employed 150 staff and made £8m a year in revenue. It operates retail stores in London and the south-east, as well as supplying major supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
