Senior appointments in UK food and drink

UK Flour Millers appoints chief executive

UK Flour Millers has appointed Alistair Gale as chief executive following the departure of director general Alex Waugh, who leaves the business after more than three decades with the organisation.

Gales joins from the Port of London Authority (PLA) where he is director of corporate affairs and strategy. Prior to his time with PLA, Gales worked for Blue Circle Industries/Lafarge, Cement UK, the UK’s largest cement manufacturer.

Commenting on his appointment, he said: “Flour is an ingredient in about a third of our supermarket foods, and the UK flour milling sector is vital to the nation. I’m looking forward to joining in the early summer, continuing the transformation in profile and representation the association has been evolving through over recent years.”

Alex Waugh will retire from UK Flour Millers after more than 30 years’ service. He has worked across a number of other representative organisations, including the UK Rice Association and European Flour Millers, and played a leading role in a number of sectoral committees and organisations advising government and industry.

UK Flour Millers president and chairman of Whitworth Bros and Carr’s flour mills, Roger Butler, said: “Alex’s passion for the milling industry is evident to all of us as members.  He has helped us address many challenges and changes in his time with the association.  He will leave with our heartfelt thanks for an amazingly well-done job.”

New head of innovation at Aryzta UK & Ireland

International bakery company Aryzta has announced the appointment of Hannah Sibley as Product and Innovation Director for its UK & Ireland operations.

Sibley will be based at Aryzta’s Centre of Excellence in Dublin where she will work to strengthen and accelerate the manufacturer’s new product development pipeline.

Chief Commercial Officer at Aryzta UK & Ireland Nigel Scully said: “Hannah brings a wealth of experience and a finely tuned insight into the very latest global bakery trends which will enable us to add even more value to our grocery, retail convenience and foodservice partnerships.”

Sibley joins Aryzta from GB Business Unit of Grupo Bimbo, where most recently she was head of NPD and Innovation. She boasts more than 18 years’ bakery experience and has served in a senior NPD role at Winterbotham Darby.

“Aryzta is renowned for its innovative approach to product development and is very well placed to enable retailers to meet growing consumer demand for new taste experiences across multiple bakery categories,” Sibley added.

“I’m looking forward to using my passion for bakery to help bring category-boosting new speciality breads and other complementary products to market.”

Meat industry veteran leads UK arm of Prosur

Spanish biotech natural ingredients firm Prosur has appointed meat industry veteran Rob Nugent to lead its UK and Ireland business.

A well known figure in the UK meat industry, Nugent counts more than 30 years operational and technical experience across the likes of Direct Table, Pilgrims, Sainsburys and Marks and Spencer.

Global business director Simon Claessens said: “This is a very exciting time for our business and bringing Rob into our team is a sign of our commitment to supporting the UK and Irish Meat Industry.

“We are delighted to have Rob on board, and he will be able to give the hands-on practical and technical expertise which is so important when adapting to working with new technologies and processing, as well as bringing market insights back to o