As the end of the year draws to a close, we have summed up the key movers and shakers of 2025.
1. 2 Sisters new CFO
The start of the year saw 2 Sisters Food Group’s parent company Boparan Holdings (BHL) appointing former Marks & Spencer senior executive and industry veteran, Paul Friston, as its new chief financial officer, taking over from Nigel Williams.
Friston spent more than 28 years with M&S across various financial roles, serving as interim chief financial officer for the retailer between July 2014 to March 2015.
In May 2016, he took over as managing director of M&S International, a role he held for six years, before transitioning to chief commercial officer of M&S Food in July
More recently, 2 Sisters has seen further changes with Mark Doleman -formerly Audit Partner at Deloitte for 20 years - joining the board as a non-executive director.
In this role he will chair the Audit Committee among other board duties. He has replaced Ian Ellis who has served in the role for the last five years.
Turnover for BHL was up 0.5% in FY24, standing at £3 million. This as driven by volume growth in the UK businesses partly off-set by the year-on-year impact of disposals in FY23.
Operational improvements in the UK poultry and meals & bakery businesses – such as realising the benefits from investments made in improving line efficiency in UK poultry – meant profit before tax for the group was up £63.5 million to £35.5 million (from a loss of £28 million in 2023).
2. New CEO at William Jackson Food Group
In April, William Jackson Food Group appointed Paul Murphy as its new chief executive officer.
He joined the East-Yorkshire headquartered food business from Associated British Foods, where he most recently served as managing director of International Markets for Twinings.
He also served as Twinings MD responsible for the UK, North America and Australia between 2022 to 2008, before spending 12 and a half years as chief executive of the Jordans Dorset Ryvita Company.
Despite a rise in turnover to £334.3 million, the Group’s 2024 Companies House records show it recorded an operating loss (EBIT) of £1.5 million (FY ended 27 April 2024).
This operating loss was in part driven by the closure of one of its manufacturing facilities located at Jackson’s in Hull which saw a £2.1 million exceptional impairment charge.
3. Diageo CEO departs
July witnessed Diageo’s CEO Debra Crew leaving with immediate effect.
Food Manufacture was informed by food sector analyst, Julian Wild, that this was due to “underperforming business and shareholder discontent”.
The Guinness owner reported a $304 million decline in operating profit during the 2024 fiscal year, driven partly by struggles in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
In response to its decline in revenue and profit, Diageo sold majority stakes in Guinness Nigeria, Guinness Ghana and Casa Redondo.
“Debra Crew’s departure will have come as no surprise and was welcomed by the Stock Market with Diageo shares bouncing back strongly on the news,” said Wild.
“Crew had a hard act to follow after the sudden death of Ivan Menezes but took the market by surprise in late 2023 with an early profits warning. That put her on the back foot and investors have been uneasy ever since.”
4. Nestlé CEO fired over ‘romantic relationship with direct subordinate’
In September we saw another swift CEO departure at Nestlé which fired Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an ‘undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate’.
The investigation determined that Freixe had breached Nestlé’s Code of Business Conduct. Philipp Navartil took over from Freixe.
Nestlé, which employs 277k employees worldwide, with 337 factories in 75 countries, has had a tough few years. Total sales for 2024 sat at CHF 91.4 billion – representing a continuous fall since 2022 (2023 93BN, 2022 94.4BN). And they’re still falling – a drop of 1.8% according to its 2025 half year report.
Navartil remains positive, saying the “results are starting to come through” but the business “must do more and move faster”.
This has translated in the new chief executive officer proposing thousands of job cuts over the next two years.
Industry commentator, Fintan O’Leary, told Food Manufacture the move makes sense on paper, but the business will “struggle unless their savings are re-invested and translated into innovative, higher margin solutions/categories”.
Alongside the dismissal of Freixe, Paul Bulcke stepped down as chairman of Nestlé S.A. Pablo Isla assumed the role in his place back in October.
The business also saw Sanjay Bahadur, executive vice president and head of group strategy and business development, announce his retirement in November, after more than 40 years with the company.
5. Suntory CEO resigns amid police investigation
The CEO of Suntory Holdings resigned with immediate effect after the police launched an investigation into his purchase of a banned supplement.
Takeshi Niinami – who left his position as representative director, chair and CEO at the Japanese food and drink giant – said that he purchased the supplement under the impression that it was legal and not in violation of the firm’s rules.
Suntory was notified on 22 August 2025 that Niinami was under investigation by the police and instructed an outside legal counsel to conduct an interview with him. He subsequently decided to step down with immediate effect.
Niinami worked for Suntory for 11 years, having been CEO since October 2014. Prior to that, he spent 12 years with retail firm Lawson and more than 20 years at the Mitsubishi Corporation.
6. Hovis CEO departs
The bread maker announced that after three years in the role, Jon Jenkins would be departing the business in September.
Jenkins joined the firm as CEO in October 2022 after more than two and a half years as the chief executive of Müller UK & Ireland.
His exit follows shortly after Associated British Food said it had reached an agreement with Hovis owner Endless LLP to acquire the brand.
Jenkins previously worked for Allied Bakeries, the baked goods division of Associated British Food.
Moving forward, the Hovis executive board said that it will “continue to deliver the strategic direction” of the brand, while “providing retailers and consumers with the great service and high-quality products they are used to”.
7. Hilton Foods CEO steps down
November saw Steve Murrells leaving his role as Hilton Foods’ chief executive office with immediate effect.
The company said that the board and Steve Murrells agreed that now “is the right time” to search for a new leader to take the business forward.
The board has since appointed Mark Allen, currently non-executive chair, as executive chair.
The company said that Allen has significant food industry, consumer goods and public company experience that will provide the business with strong executive leadership while the board considers CEO succession.
Meanwhile, Murrells is available for a period of transitional support until the end of December 2025.
Earlier this year, Hilton Foods reported continued growth in its full-year financial results for the 52 weeks to 31 December 2024.
The business also sold the catering butcher to Sysco GB this year as it continues to reshape it strategy.
The board said it is confident in its long-term prospects, despite challenging trading conditions.
8. Major UK snacking manufacturer hires new CEO
Mike Hancox has been appointed chief executive officer for Tayto Group – the UK’s third largest savoury snack producer. He will be swapping parcel delivery for food, as he moves over from his role as Yodel boss.
He brings with him leadership experience across food manufacturing, retail and logistics sectors, as well as non-executive board experience, having held roles in technology, infrastructure and licensing companies.
Hancox replaces Fergal McCann, who is set to retire in January 2026 after 13 years as the business’s finance director and then CEO.
Tayto Group which was founded in 1956 owns brands such as Golden Wonder, Tayto, REAL Hand Cooked crisps, and Marmite snacks, as well as being Britain’s leading supplier of pork snacks with two best-selling brands in Mr. Porky and Midland Snacks.
9. Coca-Cola’s new CEO
James Quincy is stepping down as Coke’s chief executive officer after nine years.
Executive vice president (EVP) and chief operating officer (COO) Henrique Braun will take on the role of CEO, effective 31 March 2025.
Quincy, who joined Coca-Cola in 1996 as director of learning strategy for the Latin America Group, will remain with the beverage company as executive chairman.
Braun – who joined the business the same year as Quincy – says he will focus on opportunities to build on the strong foundations set by his predecessor, with his priorities including further international growth, getting closer to consumer needs, and leveraging technology to drive business performance and growth.
Braun has progressed through ranks at Coca-Cola during his 29 years at the drinks giant, having worked across its North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia divisions.
He was appointed as EVP in 2024, taking on the additional responsibility of COO a year later. In this position, he oversaw the company’s operating units worldwide.
The group appears to be maintaining steady results with its “all-weather strategy” likely due to its wide-ranging portfolio - which has kept it abreast of top trends (e.g. low sugar, functional drinks) - and international reach.
While first quarter net revenue for 2025 saw a dip of -2%, Q2 climbed up 1% and Q3 has seen another positive jump up 5% to 12.5 billion.
The company says it expects to deliver organic revenue (non-GAAP) growth of 5% to 6% for the full year.
According to investment research firm Zacks, shares of Coca-Cola have gained 13.8% year to date compared with the industry’s growth of 6.5%.
10. Kraft Heinz leadership changes
This month saw the Kraft Heinz Company naming a new chief executive officer, following the business’s announcement that it would be split in two.
Steve Cahillane will succeed Carlos Abrams-Rivera, who has been at the helm of Kraft Heinz for the last two years.
As Cahillane steps into the role in January 2026, Abrams-Rivera will move into an advisory position (until 6 March) to help with a smooth transition.
Cahillane will also join the board of directors at Kraft Heinz and serve as CEO of Global Taste Elevation Co., following the company’s split into two independent, publicly traded companies.
While the group reported a modest year-on-year improvement in its top-line performance in Q3 2025, its net and organic sales have been falling since 2024, with gross profit margins shrinking in each quarter so far for 2025.
The new boss joins the company from his role as chairman, president and CEO of Kellanova. His move to Kraft Heinz follows Kellanova’s recent acquisition by Mars Inc.
This leadership shake-up also comes after the appointment of a new managing director for Kraft Heinz UK and Ireland back in January 2025.
Marta Pilczuk took over from Jojo Lins De Noronha, who announced her new venture The Perpetuity Project – a holding company dedicated to acquiring and growing SMEs across Europe – in April.
