Greggs CEO Roisin Currie has been commended for her outstanding contribution to the food industry at The Grocer Gold awards 2024.
She was revealed as the recipient of The Grocer Cup in 2024 at the black-tie awards ceremony, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall earlier this week (2 July).
The award dates back to the 1920s and celebrates someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the food industry. Previous winners include Warburtons chairman Jonathan Warburton, former Tesco CEO Dave Lewis, and most recently M&S CEO Stuart Machin.
Notably, Currie is the second-ever woman to win the award with the first being Fiona Dawson, president of Mars UK, who lifted the cup in 2013.
Currie was praised for her significant contribution to Greggs’ growth during her 14 years with the company. Over the past decade, it has opened almost 1,000 outlets and last year posted pre-tax profits of £188.3m on sales of £1.8bn.
Having stepped up to the role of CEO in 2022, Currie is now the driving force behind the business’ future plans which see it eyeing petrol forecourts and a raft of new openings with an ultimate goal of 3,500 outlets sometime in the future. All of this is underpinned by the firm’s investment in its logistics and manufacturing operations, with a state-of-the-art purpose-built frozen production and logistics facility in Derby currently in construction.
Currie’s humility and affable nature are a perfect match for the unpretentious high street eatery, which trades on providing efficient service, great value, and not taking itself too seriously, The Grocer said.
Her work beyond Greggs’ impressive growth was also recognised by the judging panel with Timpson CEO James Timpson commending her work in recruiting fantastic people from prison. “She runs more than a business. She runs a wonderful, ethical retailer – a real point of pride for Britain. Every high street I go on, I see a Greggs, and I see amazing standards and busy shops,” he said.
Mary Macleod, CEO of Business in the Community, echoes the view that Currie’s impact goes beyond Greggs’ impressive numbers in recent years.
“She’s a champion for business being done the right way, so that it positively impacts colleagues, customers and communities,” she said. “She’s a great business leader and has always been a passionate advocate for Business in the Community, from Greggs’ school breakfast clubs to championing our programmes out in communities to those facing disadvantage.”
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