Pladis appoints new chief executive

Amin is due to take over the leadership officially in February and will be accountable for all the categories and geographies of the company, from Europe, America, Africa to Middle East, Central Asia and Far East.

He is charged with immersing himself in the culture of Pladis, which owns McVitie's and Jacobs brands, meeting colleagues and customers, before formulating his global strategy for the business. Pladis said he would aim to focus on strategically diversifying McVitie’s, alongside Ulker and a range of Godiva chocolates exclusively for consumer-packaged goods channels and core markets. He would also focus on inspiring a global workforce to capitalise on multi-channel, dynamic trading environments.

Relocating back to London, UK, Amin serves on the board of directors of ITV plc as a non-executive director and on the global advisory board for the Kellogg School of Management. 

'Consumer evolution'​

Commenting on his appointment, Salman said: “I’ve built a career on seeking out opportunities to rewrite the rules, diversify and be part of consumer evolution. At Pladis we have the opportunity to make our local favourites global stars, and share the heritage of our biscuits and confectionery with the world. I’m looking forward to joining my new colleagues as we embark on this journey together.”​

Amin has developed a strong reputation in the food and drink industry and takes up the role after a highly successful international career spanning 30 years and three continents. He joins from SC Johnson & Son's Global Commercial Division, where he was accountable for all categories and geographies. During his tenure at the family-owned enterprise, he was successful in rejuvenating its portfolio of global brands, building a world-class marketing organisation, accelerating innovation speed to market, driving growth in operating profit margins, and leading a programme of cultural transformation. 

Welcoming Amin to Pladis, Murat Ulker, chairman of Yildiz Holding, said: “Pladis is just over two years old and already we’re fast becoming a global snacking leader​. With Salman’s proven track record in driving transformation and growth among global FMCG ​[fast moving consumer goods] players, we’re delighted to welcome him to lead our ambitious and entrepreneurial team.”​

PepsiCo​

Before joining SC Johnson, Amin was PepsiCo’s chief marketing officer. In that role, he led PepsiCo’s move to front-of-pack labelling in the UK and the expansion of the PepsiCo snacks portfolio globally, with iconic brands like Lays and Doritos. He also held significant roles across the business, including president PepsiCo, UK & Ireland and other leadership roles during his 17 years at the company. He also spent 10 years at Procter & Gamble working in the US, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland.

Pladis described Amin as "an insights-focused, energetic leader, with comprehensive global experience across marketing, sales and operations" who "thrives at the centre of brand and business development"​.

Pladis owns a range of regional brands, including Jacob’s, Go ahead!, Carr’s, Flipz, BN and Verkade, making products such as sweet and savoury biscuits, wafers, cake, chocolate, gum and candy. Formed in 2016, the company boasts a 17,000-strong global workforce spanning 34 factories in 13 countries and annual revenue in 2017 of £3.5bn.