New leadership hires have been announced at bakery ingredients suppliers, major high street chains, and more.
Among the recently appointed roles are managing director of GoodMills Innovation and president of Barry Callebaut (Western Europe region), along with heads of marketing at Pret and Starbucks. There’s also new investigations officer in Scotland for Bakers Basco.
Check out more details on the handful of movers in and adjacent to the baking sector below:
Bakers Basco
The bakery equipment membership scheme has recruited Richard Morrice to head up its investigations team in Scotland as it continues to expand operations in the territory.
Morrice has more than 20 years of experience in investigative work including two years as an insurance claims adjuster and seven years in retail management. Joining from a previous investigatory role in the public sector, his new job will see him responsible for monitoring areas of loss of bakery delivery equipment (such as Omega bread baskets and dollies) within the supply chain in Scotland, working between both investigations and operations.
It can be a precarious task to confront businesses on equipment misuse and theft. In July, Bakers Basco issued frontline staff with protective body armour following increased aggression towards them. More recently, it brought about legal action against a bakery in Cambridge for unlawfully retaining and repurposing baskets and dollies belonging to the scheme.
Barry Callebaut
Swiss-Belgian chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut has appointed Alvaro Alonso as its new president of Western Europe, effective on 1 November. He succeeds Pascale Meulemeester, who leaves after nearly 15 years with the business including leading its UK operations – she has taken up the role of designate regional director APMEA at British American Tobacco.
Spanish national Alonso joins from global skin care products manufacturer Beiersdorf, where he spent over 14 years in regional management roles including most recently leading the Central and Eastern Europe division. He has previously held leadership and sales positions at Carrefour and Unilever, and has served on boards of various NGOs and trade organisations.
He is to report directly to CEO Peter Feld and will also become a member of the company’s Extended Leadership team. “Combined with his deep understanding of delivering the highest quality to consistently meet and exceed our customers’ needs, [Alonso] will be instrumental as we create the best chocolate solutions and services and take customer experience to the next level,” commented Feld.
GoodMills Innovation
Hamburg-based ingredients supplier GoodMills Innovation has named Stefan Laackmann as its new managing director and spokesperson for the management board. He replaces Gunnar Steffek, who is to return to Vienna at the start of the new financial year where he will continue to monitor the company’s development in his role as chairman of the advisory board.
Laackmann is to work alongside existing MD Jürgen Morawitz to oversee GoodMills’ management and strategy, with a particular focus on sales, marketing, and application technology. Throughout his career, Laackmann has held senior positions at well-known companies such as Lekkerland and CSM, acquiring in-depth knowledge of the entire value chain, from food wholesale and foodservice to manufacturing.
“My goal at GoodMills Innovation is to expand existing partnerships in a targeted manner, provide fresh impetus for creative new solutions and further consolidate our position as a reliable, reputable partner to the food industry,” said the incoming MD. Goodmills supplies a range of ingredients focusing on clean label, health, and sustainability to the baking sector, including UK-based firms. It launched a protein-rich blend and a pinsa flour mix earlier this year.
Pret A Manger
Matthew Bresnahan has been unveiled as the new chief marketing officer at Pret, tasked with helping drive forward the company’s growth plans and bringing the brand to more people. Prior to joining the high street food-to-go chain, he was at Restaurant Brands International for almost 12 years, leading marketing strategies and building regional sales strategies for some of its biggest brands such as Burger King and Tim Hortons.
In his new London-based role, Bresnahan is to leverage his experience in customer insights and analytics to design marketing initiatives that deepen Pret’s relationship with its customers. He will have responsibility for Pret’s global and localised marketing functions, while also overseeing product innovation, loyalty programs, customer insights, PR, and delivery channels. The company’s most recent chief customer and growth officer, Dan Burdett, left in 2022.
Bresnahan’s appointment comes as the brand enhances its focus on value for money initiatives for customers, including a trial of seven different breakfast and lunchtime meal deals. Over the summer, it launched a more spacious shop format featuring a new menu that includes made-to-order bakery items.
Starbucks
Global coffee chain Starbucks has hired Vic Robertson as its new UK marketing director (see image at top). She most recently served as director of franchise at SSP UK, the longstanding licensee partner of Starbucks in the country, where she led brand and customer engagement strategies across its retail portfolio.
Robertson refills the role vacated in April by Sarah Harris, who went on to become Group CMO at international bakery chain Ole & Steen. At Starbucks, Robertson will oversee campaign and digital strategy as well as product innovation, including the Starbucks Rewards programme and its brand partnerships for the UK. The company is currently advancing its ‘Back to Starbucks’ strategy including a renewed focus on reestablishing it as the community coffee house and reigniting consumer passion for the brand.
Starbucks noted it has recently driven forward food innovation and diversification of its fresh food options – its latest menu for autumn 2025 features new quiches, lattices, and sweet treats. “We are energised by the progress and results we are seeing in the UK, across brand equity, customer experience, product innovation and delivery in store,” said Esther van Onselen, Starbucks’ vice president brand & customer experience EMEA, who noted “Vic is the ideal leader to carry this momentum forward”.
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