2 Sisters appoints new group procurement director

23-Mar-2016 - Last updated on 23-Mar-2016 at 15:59 GMT

Jonathan Russell has been promoted to control 2 Sisters' £1.5bn procurement budget

2 Sisters Food Group has promoted Jonathan Russell to director of group procurement, responsible for the manufacturer’s £1.5bn a year purchasing budget and for managing its supply chain.

Russell will manage a team of 22 specialist buyers, sourcing everything from animal feed to fresh food ingredients and packaging to plastic gloves for 2 Sisters’ 44 manufacturing sites.

Buys 10% of UK wheat crop

2 Sisters Food Group said it was one of the UK’s largest buyers of food and agricultural products. The manufacturer buys about 10% of the UK wheat crop, and claimed to be one of Europe’s largest buyers of mozzarella.

The new procurement boss previously led both food and commodity buying teams within the business within 2 Sisters Food Group. His new wider role will see him working to build the entire supply chain to meet growing volume requirements for all 2 Sisters’ products.

‘At the best prices’

Russell said: “I am delighted to be taking on this new challenge and helping 2 Sisters Food Group, and its customers, secure the best materials and services, at the best prices.

“I see the role of procurement at 2 Sisters Food Group as ‘future proofing’ the business, ensuring our sourcing strategy is aligned to our business units and customers’ needs. We will continue our journey on building strong partnerships with our key suppliers, especially given that we are one of the UK farming industry’s biggest buyers.”

Russell joined 2 Sisters Food Group in 2005 having previously worked as a buyer at retailer Iceland.