Dawkins, who served in the role since the creation of the poultry manufacturer as a joint venture between Cargill’s UK fresh poultry business and Faccenda in February 2018, has been replaced by Chris Hall.
Hall has also been at Avara Foods since 2018, serving first as chief commercial officer, before being promoted to chief operating officer in June 2023.
According to sister title The Grocer, Dawkins will remain involved with the business a non-executive director of Avara Foods Holdings.
Speaking to The Grocer ahead of his exit, Dawkins said: “I will have an opportunity to support Chris and his team going forward as well as keep in touch with the many Avara friends and colleagues that have become a big part of my life.”
The departure of Dawkins has been posted on the Avara Foods Limited page on Companies House, in addition to filings showing that Philip Proud and David Hidson have been removed as directors.
Meanwhile, Robert Jennings, Robert Bywater and Julian Culshaw were all appointed as directors on 1 June, and Sonia Pollock was promoted to the role of chief financial officer in February.
Food Manufacture has reached out to Avara Foods for comment.
Dawkins, Proud and Hidson were all listed as directors when Avara Foods published its accounts up to 31 May 2024 earlier this year.
During that 12-month period, the firm suffered a £49.4 million loss, in part due to its undergoing a major business restructure that included the closure of two processing sites and the creation of a new ‘added value’ facility.
In related news, more than 3,000 individuals and businesses have signed up to join a group legal claim against Avara Foods which alleges that industrial-scale chicken production managed by the company is the single largest contributor of river water pollution in the region.
In response, Avara Foods described the claims as baseless.
