Blerina Essen has been appointed chief executive officer of the UK arm of French bakery manufacturing group Norac Foods.
Assuming the newly designated leadership role, she supersedes former UK managing director Jean-Pascal Allemand who steps down after more than a quarter of a century with the family-owned firm.
Essen joined the company as finance and operations director in 2023, becoming deputy MD the following year. Her latest internal promotion is said to mark one of the fastest leadership progressions within the Norac Group.
During her time at Norac, she has been central to its business growth in the UK market with its brands Whaoo! and La Boulangère. Essen has a background in strategy and growth transformation, with her career focused on developing businesses, strengthening organisations, and building teams that deliver.
She takes up the role as the business enters a new phase of growth, with the continental morning goods category growing 9.6% year on year [Worldpanel by Numerator 2026 data]. The La Boulangère range includes all-butter, long-life pastries and brioche products stocked by Asda, Iceland, Home Bargains, and Ocado, while Whaoo! has filled crêpes, pancakes, cake bars, and brioche buns sold at the same retailers as well as Morrisons and Farmfoods.
The new UK CEO is to work closely with chief marketing officer Benjamin Lickfett and the wider leadership team on further improving these brands’ visibility in the UK. As part of this ambition, Norac is currently building its first UK production site in Lincolnshire – more details have yet to be revealed.
Essen said she was “incredibly proud” to take on the leadership role, whilst expressing thanks for Allemand’s partnership and contributions to the business over recent years. “Norac Foods UK has grown because of the people behind it, and my focus as CEO stays the same: grow the business, build a strong team, think differently, and create a culture where everyone is encouraged to think like an owner and to be themselves,” she commented.
“That collaborative ethos is what will allow us to capitalise on new opportunities for growth at such an exciting moment for the business. Continental morning goods have grown by 9.6% in the past year, which tells us British shoppers want more choice at breakfast and treat time than the familiar options give them. We can meet that with French recipes and baking know-how from a family business with more than thirty years behind it, adapted to the flavours and formats British families reach for,” added Essen.
Norac Foods was founded in Brittany in 1992 by Bruno Caron. It has grown into a group of 11 subsidiary businesses across France, Spain, Germany, the UK, Brazil, and the United States, employing around 6,200 people at 27 production sites.
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