News
Commercial leadership changes at General Mills and ML Meat
General Mills shuffles UK&I sales team
Home to Old El Pasco, Nature Valley, Haagen-Dazs and Betty Crocker, General Mills has recruited Rob Owen as its UK & Ireland sales director.
Owen’s career spans several prominent roles in the FMCG sector, including at Treasury Wines and a decade-long stint at Unilever in various sales roles in the UK, most recently as sales director for Central and Eastern Europe.
He joins the business from his role at Standout Field Marketing as managing director and succeeds Simon Fisher, who will be taking on the elevated role of commercial director at General Mills.
In this capacity, Fisher will lead the day-to-day commercial operations of the UK & Ireland division at the manufacturer.
Commenting on his appointment, Owen said he was “truly delighted” to come on board.
“I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to a business that values strong, collaborative partnerships across the trade, and I look forward to leveraging my experience to drive tangible results and strategic growth in partnership with our customers,” he added.
ML Meat hires sales director
UK wholesale catering supplier, ML Meat has hired Karl Blackford as its sales lead.
With more than 20 years in food and drink, Blackford joins the business following several leadership roles at notable companies, including Bidfood, Booker and Bestway Wholesale.
Known for its CP Tasty Sausages, saveloys and Bully’s Burgers, as well as offering bespoke white label manufacturing services, Blackford will take on the role of expanding ML Meat’s footprint beyond its stronghold in London.
His appointment coincides with a period of significant growth for the wholesale catering supplier and represents a major milestone in the company’s plans to extend its reach.
Commenting on the recruitment of Blackford, Steve Christofi, commercial director at ML MEAT, said: “Karl has a wealth of experience and a proven track record in driving sales growth and expanding market presence. His strategic vision and leadership will be invaluable as we undergo this period of growth.
“We have an established customer base in London and Greater London, where we are recognised for providing exceptional quality and reasonable prices. We’re confident that Karl has the expertise to further cement our position as a versatile and customer-focused supplier outside of the capital.”
Blackford said that he was “delighted” to be joining the team.
“This is an exciting time for the company and I’m looking forward to seeing what we’re able to achieve in this phase of growth,” he added.
In other news, FareShare has made a startling health-related discovery, impacting a third of children in the UK.
