The appointment of Trevor Debenham as Plant-Ex Ingredients Ltd’s new managing director allows Giles Drewett, the business’s founder, to assume the role of CEO with a focus on continued global growth.
Established in 2010 and headquartered in Avonmouth, UK, Plant-Ex has grown from a one-man operation into a medium-sized company with a team of more than 120 people with sites across the UK, Poland and Turkey.
The company has ambitious growth targets for the UK, European and US food and drink flavour and colour markets following an expansion of capacity investment exceeding £9m.
Debenham comes from a food industry background, most recently serving as business unit director of Somerdale International Limited, a company with a turnover of £54m in the dairy sector.
A chartered certified accountant with significant operational experience, he will take the lead in a variety of management tasks with responsibility for operations, finance, HR and ESG, while Giles Drewett will concentrate on product and design innovation, and sales and marketing, alongside overseeing Plant-Ex’s international sites and global opportunities.
“I am extremely excited to have joined Plant-Ex as they forge ahead with their strategic goals. I am particularly keen on supporting the team achieve their full potential. Taking Plant-Ex to a level in the marketplace where the company is the supplier of choice in the industry is the ultimate goal,” commented Debenham.
Drewett added: “Trevor joins us at a crucial time for the company, we have invested heavily in plant and equipment to deliver growth of production capacity but we also need to invest in our team, training where we can and bringing outside expertise in where we cannot.
“Trevor’s arrival brings a professional approach to running the organisation whilst allowing me to focus on what makes Plant-Ex special – bringing exception colours and flavours to our most important partners, our customers.”
