Unitas Wholesale announces senior appointments

09-Mar-2022 - Last updated on 09-Mar-2022 at 12:48 GMT

Unitas Wholesale ha announce two senior hires

Wholesale giant Unitas has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Cheryl Hope as its director of trading and development and Aoife Kenny as commercial director.

In her newly created role, Hope will report to commercial director Aoife Kenny and will be responsible for a number of ‘strategic projects’ at the business, including the development of the group’s new out-of-home trading strategy. She will join Unitas in June 2022.

Hope boasts a wealth of experience within foodservice and retail sector, with senior roles at organisation including Bako, Poundland, Iceland, Costcutter and the Co-op. Most recently, she was head of trading at A F Blakemore and Son.

Re-shape the business

Commenting on Hope’s appointment, managing director John Kinney said: “I am delighted to welcome Cheryl to Unitas at such an important time in our development as we continue to re-shape Unitas to become a more member-centric organisation, that seeks to excel in every area we operate in.

“Cheryl will be an excellent addition to our business and has the skills and experience that we are looking for to develop our Out of Home offer for our members”.

The appointment of Hope as the director of trading and development followed last week’s announcement that Aoife Kenny was to join the business as commercial director.

Kenny joined Unitas from AF Blakemore where she held the position of interim head of foodservice. Prior to this Kenny has held a number of senior roles across manufacturing, food service and retail, having spent time with PepsiCo, Burton’s Biscuits, Kepak Group and the Co-op.

Unitas board of directors

Reporting to John Kinney, Kenny will join the board of Unitas Wholesale and will be responsible for both the trading and commercial areas of the business.

Kinney added: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Aoife to Unitas at such an important time in our development as we seek to re-shape the organisation to become more member-centric and cement our place as the UK’s leading buying group.

“Aoife has the skills, values and experience that we were looking for, gained during a successful career across, wholesale, foodservice, retail and manufacturing.”

Meanwhile, Value added ingredients manufacturer Meadow Foods has announced a trio of senior hires.