Allen had been a member of the AG Barr board for close to four and a half years, but has now opted to turn his focus towards faltering Hilton Foods.
As a result, the Irn-Bru manufacturer has now named senior independent director Susan Barratt as acting interim chairwoman while it searches for a replacement.
The seasoned FMCG operator had initially taken on the Hilton Foods CEO role on a temporary basis in November last year, following on from the sudden departure of Steve Murrells.
Having started his career in the police force, Allen will bring several decades-worth of experience to the role and has worked with a wide variety of food and drink manufacturers including Dairy UK, Warburtons and Foods.
Speaking to our sister paper The Grocer, Shore Capital analyst Clive Black commented: “Mr Allen has been a fine chair of AG Barr and is an undoubted gap to fill, but he leaves the firm in fine shape with a very strong board and executive team that is expediting a well thought through plan supported by a very strong balance sheet.”
During his lengthy spell (2007 to 2019) as Dairy UK CEO, Allen oversaw the firm’s lucrative £1 billion sale to Canadian dairy conglomerate Saputo.
Allen has also spent time in a range of senior leadership roles at fuel behemoth Shell, builder’s merchant Howdens and bathroom products group Norcros.
In a September trading update, AG Barr reported a considerable rise in profit in its H1 2026 results, with a 20% gain off the back of rising prices and better operating margin.
In his parting statement, Allen said: “It’s been an enormous privilege serving as chair of AG Barr as the company has strengthened and innovated its brand portfolio, driven value-creating M&A, and delivered value for shareholders.
“The business is in great shape and now is the right time to pass on the baton and focus on my other commitments.”
Barratt added: “On behalf of the board, I would like to express our gratitude to Mark for his outstanding contribution and dedicated service to AG Barr over the past five years.
“He has built and led a high-quality board and advanced the strategic direction for the business. He leaves AG Barr in a strong position, and we wish him all the best for the future.”
