Wood replaces Daniel Woodwards, who served in the role for five and a half years after spending seven years as chief operating officer for Seabrook Crisps, a brand which has been owned by Calbee Group since 2018.
Having worked as group commercial director for Calbee UK since 2019, Wood first joined Seabrook in 2010 before which he worked in several roles at Mars over a six-year period.
According to data from Kantar, Calbee Group is the largest savoury snack manufacturer in its Japanese home market and the fifth largest branded crisps and snacks manufacturer in the UK.
In the UK, the firm owns brands including Seabrook Crisps, Loaded and Harvest Snaps, while it also manufactures Peppa Pig licensed snacking products.
Ambitious growth plans
Commenting on his promotion, Wood said it was the perfect time to take on the role.
“Since joining the Calbee Group in 2018, we’ve doubled the size of the Seabrook brand and subsequently the UK business through step changing the investment in our brands (both Seabrook and Harvest Snaps) and by expanding the breadth of our product offerings through capital investments in capability and capacity,” he added.
“This has enabled Calbee to consistently outperform the category in what has been a highly competitive and challenging market landscape.”
In May, Calbee UK announced plans to accelerate its growth investment plans on top of the £12m investment into its Bradford crisps site.
“The next phase of our growth is no less ambitious, as we continue to build on the branded gains already made on both Seabrook and Harvest Snaps,” Wood continued.
“As we move forward, we will further leverage the huge breadth of innovative product technologies and market-leading brands available to us through the wider Calbee Group, with the UK playing a leading role in Calbee’s global growth aspirations.
“I look forward to leading our ever-strengthening UK team and working closely with the wider Calbee family so we can bring new EPD and NPD to UK shoppers on what I have no doubt will be a challenging and exciting journey.”
In other news, a man has been arrested in connection with the theft of 22 tonnes of cheese from Neal’s Yard Dairy.
