In this series, British Baker talks to people from across the baking industry to find out about their career path, what their job involves, and the latest trends that are shaping their work.
We’re looking to showcase a diverse range of talent and job types across the industry, so if you’d like to be involved, please email dan.riley@wrbm.com.
Name: Kirsty Peel
Age: 41
Job title: Head of Foodservice
Company and location: Finsbury Food Group, mostly based in Fletchers (Sheffield) and Kara (Manchester) sites
Education: 2:1 International Business with German
Tell us about your career so far:
I joined Fletchers, which became part of Finsbury Food Group in 2014, as a graduate national account executive for the Foodservice team in 2006. I progressed to regional account manager after a couple of years, looking after buying groups and export accounts, and was then promoted to national account manager where I looked after national accounts, buying groups, and some key end users.
Finsbury supported my return to work following maternity leave with a project manager position for 18 months. I then resumed my role as a national account manager, looking after Sysco, a wholesale restaurant food distributor, for three years. In 2022, I made a move to the grocery side of the business as a business manager looking after Tesco for three years. In January 2025 I returned to the foodservice side, becoming head of foodservice – it’s been an incredibly busy but exciting time ever since!
How would you describe your job in a sentence or two?
I am responsible for the foodservice team which focuses on supplying baked goods to the foodservice sector, including over 250 food wholesalers along with direct to end-users such as pub, hotel, and restaurant chains and travel and leisure sites. Together we strive to support our customers and drive mutual profitable growth.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I know it’s a cliché but every day is different. That’s probably the main reason that I’ve worked here for 19 years. It could be a meeting with internal stakeholders looking at new product development (NPD) or discussing category strategies one day, or it could be a day visiting one of our valued customers discussing how we can grow and develop our partnership. There is never a dull moment working in the bakery industry!
What’s the biggest lesson you have learned during your time in the baking industry?
The baking industry is incredibly seasonal, with hot weather having a big influence on sales. The biggest challenge is staying ahead of the market, predicting the future to react quickly to outcomes. As a business we strive to be at the forefront of NPD and innovation and are passionate about working with our customers to help guide their businesses through seasonality changes.
What have been some highlights of your career?
My career highlight is happening right now: to have joined as a graduate national account executive for the Foodservice team and to now be managing that team is a real full circle moment for me. I’m incredibly proud of my hardworking team and I’m excited for the future.
What’s a common misconception about your role?
I think this role is perceived as being all about sales and, don’t get me wrong, that is a large part of it. But as a team we work cross-functionally across the departments within Finsbury to ensure the end-to-end solution is one that is suitable for the customer.
What advice would you give to young people entering the baking industry?
Love the product. You have to love what you work with and be passionate about it, otherwise it can make the working day tough. I love the Finsbury product range, there’s bread, sourdough, cakes, meringues – what’s not to like!
Interested in a career in bakery? Check out Foodmanjobs for the latest vacancies
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