Aryzta is looking to strengthen and accelerate its product development pipeline with the appointment of an innovation director.
Hannah Sibley has been named product and innovation director for Aryzta UK & Ireland and will be based at the company’s Centre of Excellence in Dublin.
“Hannah brings a wealth of experience and a finely tuned insight into the very latest global bakery trends which will enable us to add even more value to our grocery, retail convenience and foodservice partnerships,” said Aryzta UK & Ireland chief commercial officer Nigel Scully.
Sibley joins Aryzta from the GB business unit of Grupo Bimbo, where most recently she was head of NPD and innovation.
Sibley is a member of the British Society of Baking and has more than 18 years’ bakery experience, starting her career on Nature’s Way Foods’ graduate programme before progressing to in-store bakery roles with two leading UK supermarkets and at Winterbotham Darby in a senior NPD role.
Sibley said she was looking forward to using her passion for bakery to help bring new speciality breads and other products to market.
“Aryzta is renowned for its innovative approach to product development and is very well placed to enable retailers to meet growing consumer demand for new taste experiences across multiple bakery categories,” she added.
Aryzta last year announced plans to double its production capacity for sourdough and speciality breads in the UK and Ireland following investment in its Grange Castle bakery in Dublin. Plans include installation of a new speciality bread manufacturing plant as well as expansion of its live sourdough starter plant.
And in November it reported that a 19.8% increase in global revenue in the first quarter of its financial year, largely driven by higher prices. Aryzta said strong organic growth in Europe had been driven by double-digit organic revenue growth in its foodservice business and growth in the QSR (quick serve restaurant) and retail channels.
No comments yet