Bakery manufacturers, retail brands, and equipment suppliers have welcomed new directors to their boards to help guide growth ambitions.
In addition, the national egg trade body has appointed a new chief executive to lead support of its membership.
Discover more details on each of the new senior hires below:
Speciality Breads
Margate-based wholesale bakery Speciality Breads has unveiled two new appointments to its board (see image above), aimed at strengthening its team ahead of a move to a new state-of-the-art bakery later this year.
Nick Shrubsole joins as group executive director to provide financial oversight for the move and help setup the business for strong future growth. He was previously the finance director at The Body Shop, and co-founded The Finest Cake Co. in Tonbridge, which welcomed investment from Speciality Breads last year.
Aaron Corbett, meanwhile, has been brought in as group operations director. He has a wealth of high-quality artisan bakery experience obtained from roles as head of operations at The Bread Factory and previously David Wood Baking.
Speciality Breads managing director Simon Cannell said he “couldn’t be happier to be welcoming both Nick and Aaron” to the team, noting that they “exemplify what we look for in our senior team; calmness, professionalism, integrity and empathy”. “The skills that they bring to the business set us up perfectly to achieve our ambitious growth and sustainability plans over the next five years,” added Cannell.
Cake Box
Andrew Boteler has joined the board of the egg-free cake specialist Cake Box as a non-executive director and chair of the audit committee, effective from 19 February.
Boteler brings more than 30 years’ experience in both executive and non-executive roles in the financial sector, and is currently non-executive director and audit committee chair of AIM-listed Octopus AIM VCT plc and senior independent director, chair of the audit and remuneration committees for LungLifeAI Inc. Since 2021, he has been on the advisory panel for CEN Group Holdings, which helps businesses on their environmental, social and governance journey.
Martin Blair, who was himself appointed as a non-executive chair of Cake Box in 2023, said Boteler’s extensive experience and deep expertise in financial oversight will be invaluable as the firm continued to drive its sustainable growth. “Andrew’s commitment to excellence aligns perfectly with our values at Cake Box, and we look forward to his contributions in enhancing our operational integrity and transparency,” added Blair.
Cake Box’s most recent accounts for the 12 months ended 31 March 2024 reported group revenue growth of 8.7% to £37.8m. At the time, it’s retail estate was at a total of 225 franchises with Blair revealing an “ambitious target of reaching 400 stores in the medium term”.
British Egg Industry Council
Driscoll’s UK general manager Nick Allen has been appointed as the new chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC). He will join the egg trade body on 7 April, replacing acting chief executive Mark Williams who will resume his chairman role.
“We are delighted that Nick is coming on board at the BEIC,” commented Williams. “His extensive background and strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to represent the best interests of our members and ensure the British Lion Code remains the envy of egg producers around the world. We are confident that under his leadership, the British Egg Industry Council will go from strength to strength.”
Allen is the former CEO of grower-owned co-operative Berry Gardens, leading its sale to US-headquartered berry giant Driscoll’s in October 2022. Prior to this, he was Berry Gardens’ finance director for over a decade and also had a five-year stint as an audit manager at KPMG.
The BEIC noted Allen brings extensive knowledge in strategic planning and leadership skills as well as a proven track record in advocating for and engaging stakeholders in the farming and commercial sectors.
Although UK wholesale prices for eggs eased at the start of the year, the levels are still generally high compared to recent standards and up on last summer by about 40p per dozen. The number of bird flu cases nationwide have also been rising leading to Defra extending its housing measures this month to cover Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, Merseyside, and Lancashire in addition to other English regions.
Fritsch Bakery Technologies
Dr Nico Haßmann has been named as managing director of Fritsch, a brand under German equipment supplier Multivac, after almost a year occupying an interim leadership role. He first joined Multivac in 2020 as its executive vice president for subsidiary operations in Europe.
“Dr Haßmann has shown great sensitivity and leadership skills, as well as initiating important projects at Fritsch that will help us achieve our strategic goals,” said Dr Tobias Richter, director and CSO of the Multivac Group. “We are therefore very pleased, that we have been able to persuade Dr Haßmann to take over this task on a permanent basis.”
Fritsch has been part of the Multivac Group since 2019 and is currently based in the Bavarian town of Markt Einersheim. However, it is set to relocate its headquarters by 2027 to a new 215,000 sq ft complex in nearby Iphofen, which will accommodate production halls and assembly facilities, as well as a new technology centre dubbed ‘The World of Bakery’.
Pladis Global
The snack manufacturing giant – which owns a brand portfolio that includes McVitie’s, Jacob’s, Carr’s, Go Ahead!, Flipz, and BN – has announced that global CEO Salman Amin has left the company for personal reasons with immediate effect. He steps down after just over six years in the role.
“We can confirm Sridhar Ramamurthy, chief financial officer, and Tim Brett, managing director Europe and Developing Markets, have assumed temporary oversight of Pladis,” stated a company spokesperson. Details on when a new CEO would be appointed or whether an official recruitment process was underway were not given.
Amin joined Pladis as global CEO in early 2019 after working as the global chief operating officer of the commercial division at US multinational SC Johnson. He also spent 17 years at PepsiCo, serving in various senior marketing roles as well as president for UK & Ireland. His departure follows a shake-up of the Pladis leadership team last summer ahead of a realignment of regions at the start of this year.
Gü
Peter Utting is retiring after more than 35 years in the food and drink industry including his role as CEO of premium dessert brand Gü since 2019. Taking over the reins is Emma Vass, who for the past seven years has been CEO of food manufacturer Ecotone UK, which includes gluten-free brand Mrs Crimble’s among its portfolio.
Utting was said to have Gü through a significant period of change, helping cement its position as a market leader in chilled desserts, securing investment from private equity firm Exponent in 2021 to acquire the business from Noble Foods, achieving B Corp status, and expanding internationally so that its products are now available in 10 countries. “Being part Gü has been one of the highlights of my career,” commented Utting. “I’m so proud of what we’ve acheived together.”
Vass brings almost 25 years of experience in food and drink to her latest role. “Gü is such a beautiful, innovative brand with potential to become one of the leading global indulgence brands – I’m delighted to have the opportunity to join the team and be part of the continued success,” she said.
Despite several external headwinds including soaring cost inflation, a ban on HFSS products on gondola end displays at supermarkets, and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on premium dessert consumption, Gü still managed to stay in the black in its latest financial results for the 52 weeks ended 29 September 2023. Profit was down from £8.7m in FY22 to £2.9m, while turnover increased marginally from £66.1m up to £66.6m.
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