Senior hires at Müller Yogurt & Desserts and the appointment of a new planning director at potato processor Branston head up this photo gallery of people on the move in the food and drink manufacturing sector.
The past month has seen a number of food and beverage businesses bolster their management teams with new hires, including The Meatless Farm Co, KTC Edibles, Pladis and William Jackson Group.
To find out about these appointments and more, click the next slide in this photo gallery of people on the move in the food and drink industry.
Meanwhile, Food Manufacture's Business Leaders' Forum will feature the results of an exclusive survey of industry bosses on a range of hot topics in the industry, including Brexit and environmental concerns.
Senior hires at Müller Yogurt & Desserts and the appointment of a new planning director at potato processor Branston head up this photo gallery of people on the move in the food and drink manufacturing sector.
The past month has seen a number of food and beverage businesses bolster their management teams with new hires, including The Meatless Farm Co, KTC Edibles, Pladis and William Jackson Group.
To find out about these appointments and more, click the next slide in this photo gallery of people on the move in the food and drink industry.
Meanwhile, Food Manufacture's Business Leaders' Forum will feature the results of an exclusive survey of industry bosses on a range of hot topics in the industry, including Brexit and environmental concerns.
Müller Yogurt & Desserts has created two new senior roles in a bid to accelerate branded and own-label sales to grocery, convenience and foodservice channels in the UK and Ireland.
Former Hovis UK sales director Jonathan Piper (pictured left) joins the dairy processor as head of a new customer centric sales team with overall responsibility for branded activity in the UK and Ireland.
Piper has held similar roles at cereal and snacks manufacturer Kellogg’s and has previously spent three years with Müller as sales director for Ireland and business unit head.
The newly created commercial director, private label and food service role will be taken by David Hollins, currently Private Label Business Unit head at Müller Yogurt & Desserts.
Hollins has more than 12 years’ experience working in the dairy sector, having held senior roles at Lactalis and Lactalis Nestlé. He joined Müller in 2012 and created the existing private label yogurt and dessert business, which completed a £50m expansion earlier this year.
Müller also announced the departure of Yogurts and Desserts commercial director Bill Mathieson, who will leave the company in January.
Bergen Merey, managing director at Müller Yogurt & Desserts, said: “The creation of these two senior roles will align our commercial organisation with the rapidly changing needs of the markets we serve.
“We look forward to welcoming Jon and David to their new roles and thank Bill for his significant contribution over the last six years.”
Potato processor Branston has strengthened its senior management with the promotion of its head of finance in the role of planning director.
Jo Hill started as commercial accountant in 2013 and has 14 years’ experience in finance roles with food businesses, including Noble Foods, Findus Group and Young’s Seafood.
Commenting on Hill’s appointment, managing director James Truscott said: “Jo has made an outstanding contribution to Branston’s finance team, as well as the wider business. She has developed the skills and knowledge that perfectly suit the new role of planning director.
“This is a really exciting time for Branston, we’re making significant investments to our sites across the UK, increasing capacity and developing state-of-the-art processing to get the best out of the UK’s potato crop.”
Ingredients manufacturer KTC Edibles has appointed a new head of business development for its edible oils and fats division.
Gary Lewis joined the producer from Silbury Marketing, where he spent eight years as board director responsible for the oils and fats part of the business.
With more than three decades’ experience within the industry, Lewis has held senior roles at some of the leading refineries, distributors and manufacturers in the UK – including Cargill, Nortech Foods and New Britain Oils.
He is also the current vice president and former president and chairman of the National Edible Oil Distributors Association, working to protect and promote the production of high-quality oils and fats across the UK.
Commenting on his new role, Lewis said: “Joining KTC is a really exciting prospect. The company is in a fantastic position and has ambitious plans for future expansion.
“I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge, putting our strategy into practice and ensuring the business achieves its full potential in terms of brand, product range and market share.”
Biscuit and snacks giant Pladis has appointed Mario Reis as its new chief supply chain officer to oversee its global supply chain operations.
Reis has joined the manufacturer from multinational beauty company Coty, where he served as chief global supply chain officer during a period of transformation in the business. He will serve as a member of the Pladis leadership team.
Commenting on Reis’ appointment, Pladis chief executive Salman Amin said: “His vast experience leading the end-to-end supply chain in large, global businesses means he will be a great asset to our team as we build on our excellence across our markets. We’re absolutely thrilled to have him on board.”
Reis boasts more than 30 years of experience in international supply chain, procurement and management roles and has held senior positions in a number of fast-moving consumer goods companies, including Danone and Mars.
Former Lidl global chief executive Jesper Højer has joined plant-based meat manufacturer The Meatless Farm Company as its new chair, following a string of appointments at the company.
Højer spent 16 years at the discount retailer before leaving in 2015. Prior to his time as chief executive, he had been in charge of Lidl’s business in Belgium and then head of its international buying operation.
Commenting on his new role at the manufacturer, Højer said: “I have been following the market for meat alternatives for some time and The Meatless Farm Co has a great opportunity to be one of the global leaders in this fast-developing food sector.
“I am impressed by the quality of both the products and the team and aim to help build The Meatless Farm Co into an international business.”
Meatless Farm founder Morten Toft Bech hoped Højer’s global experience would help the business’s international expansion.
“The world is waking up to the need to reduce red meat in our diets, and we are ready to feed the growing demand for plant-based alternatives,” Bech added.
