Millard, who was previously vice president for the BSDA, will take over the role from Coca-Cola European Partners president and general manager Leendert den Hollander at the end of his two-year stewardship.
With more than 17-years’ experience in the soft drinks sector, Millard joined Nichols in 2012 as managing director of its Vimto brand, before being appointed chief executive of the group nine months later.
Building on Hollander’s foundations
Commenting on her new role as BSDA president, Millard said: “I aim to continue the outstanding work of Leendert and past presidents on making further significant progress on a wide range of soft drinks-related issues.
“Innovation abounds among BSDA members, who are offering consumers an array of exciting options that cater to their evolving tastes and dietary preferences. As a result, sugar intake from soft drinks decreased by 28.1% between March 2016 and March 2020 [Kantar].”
Millard highlighted the work being done by BSDA members to help the Scottish Government implement its deposit return scheme, due to be introduced in July 2022, a year before a similar scheme set to be launched in England and Wales.
“In due course, we hope to have a DRS in operation across Great Britain, alongside much-needed reform of the packaging producer responsibility system,” she added.
New vice president
Following election, Paul Graham, managing director at Britvic, has been appointed vice president of the BSDA, replacing Millard. Another industry veteran, Graham joined Britvic in 2012, prior to which he spent nine years with biscuits giant United Biscuits.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, 2 Sisters Food Group’s parent company Boparan Holdings announced changes to its board of directors.
Non-executive director Alex Russo will leave the business on 30 June to focus full-time on his executive role commitments. Russo is also executive director and chief financial officer at retailer Wilko. He will also step down from the role of chairman of the audit committee.