Mark Howgego - The Compleat Food Group's new chief product officer  2100x1400

Source: The Compleat Food Group

New chief product officer Mark Howgego

The Compleat Food Group has named Mark Howgego as its first chief product officer.

The manufacturer, which owns a portfolio that includes bakery brands Pork Farms, Wall’s Pastry, and Wrights Food Group, noted that Howgego brings a wealth of experience from the UK’s leading FMCG companies to its newly created role.

Most recently, he was commercial and sustainability director at B Corp-accredited ready-meal maker Charlie Bigham’s, where he has led the company’s branded and own label product strategies for the past seven years. Prior to this, he was the commercial director at Higgidy and a commercial manager at Innocent Drinks, having started his career at Diageo back in 2005.

In his latest position, Howgego is to be focused on accelerating Compleat’s growth by driving further focus on maximising quality across its categories and working closely with its customers to deliver exceptional, affordable and sustainable food at every price tier.

“The Compleat Food Group is home to exciting branded and own label products across such a diverse range of categories, and there is so much opportunity for further growth,” commented Howgego.

“With an ongoing commitment to quality and creating exceptional food, The Compleat Food Group felt like an ideal place to take the next step in my career, and I am looking forward to working with the company as it enters the next phase of its journey.”

Compleat said the appointment of its first chief product officer signalled another major investment in delivering market-leading quality as it continues its journey to become the UK’s no.1 chilled prepared company.

Nick Field, the former Burton’s Biscuit Company boss before joining Compleat as CEO in 2022, remarked that the company was always striving to go further and to continuously improve its branded and own label offering. “Mark’s wealth of experience and his passion for creating great products will be incredibly valuable as we continue in this mission, and we are delighted to welcome him to our team,” Field added.

Howgego follows other new leadership hires by Compleat including Tom Riley as the new CFO and Brian Byrne as chief procurement officer. Earlier this year, the business added to its portfolio with the acquisition of SK Foods and Zorba Foods, which produce ranges of private label chilled party foods and dips and deli fillings respectively.

Last month, Compleat published its inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report, highlighting key achievements over the past year including the introduction of full life cycle analysis of its entire range of branded lines in regard to their environmental impact.