Premier Foods appoints new chairman

31-May-2012 - Last updated on 01-Jun-2012 at 13:50 GMT

Ronnie Bell, former chairman of Premier Foods, is to be replaced by David Beever on an interim basis

Premier Foods’ former chairman Ronnie Bell, who stepped down today (June 1), has been replaced by senior independent director, David Beever.

Beever – who joined the board of Premier Foods in January 2008 – said: “The board would like to thank Ronnie for his leadership over the last 21 months.

“I have agreed to take on the chairman’s role on an interim basis while the board comes to a view on a permanent successor. My priority is to support Michael [Clarke, ceo] and the management team to continue building our organisation and strategy to restore profitable growth.”

Before becoming senior independent director last year, Beever spent most of his earlier career with SG Warburg, the investment bank, where he was vice chairman.

Global Corporate Finance

After Warburg, Beever joined the board of financial specialists KPMG and was chairman of Global Corporate Finance.

Bell has stepped down to focus on other business and governance commitments, according to the firm.

“I’m delighted that we now have the right management, strategic and financial foundations in place to drive Premier Foods’ return to growth,” said Bell.

“I’m confident that with Michael Clarke at the helm, the company has a bright future.”

The Board has appointed non-executive director, Ian McHoul, to take over from Beever as senior independent director.