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Executive Leadership Team

Find out more about the Executive Leadership Team and click on a photo to read a short biography...

 

Alex Whitehouse

Chief Executive Officer

Appointed to the board: Appointed as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board in August 2019.

Skills and experience:   Alex joined the Company in July 2014 and was appointed Managing Director of the Grocery Strategic Business Unit in September 2014. He was promoted to UK Managing Director in April 2017. Alex has significant senior international, marketing, sales, strategy, innovation and general management experience gained across multiple geographies. He spent 18 years with Reckitt Benckiser plc, where he held senior leadership roles, including Managing Director, New Zealand and Worldwide Head of Shopper & Customer Marketing. Earlier in his career, he held a number of retail management positions with Whitbread plc.

Duncan Leggett

Chief Financial Officer

Appointed to the board: Appointed as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board in December 2019.

Skills and experience: Duncan joined the Company in September 2011 and has held a number of senior roles within finance, including Group Financial Controller and, most recently, Director of Financial Control and Corporate Development. Prior to joining the Company, Duncan spent nine years at KPMG working with clients across a variety of industries. Duncan’s responsibilities include operational and corporate finance, corporate development, investor relations and pensions. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Hannah Collyer

Corporate Affairs & ESG Director

Skills and experience: Hannah joined the Company in January 2018 as Corporate Affairs Director, leading internal and external communications for the group and driving the group’s five pillar responsibility strategy. She was promoted onto the Executive Leadership Team in the newly formed role of Corporate Affairs and ESG Director in May 2021. Prior to joining the Company, Hannah held a number of senior communications roles at Dixons Carphone, Tesco and the Metropolitan Police Service.

Key responsibilities: Hannah is responsible for developing the Company’s corporate reputation and building trust with internal and external stakeholders. A key part of her work is leading the group’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, working in partnership with colleagues, suppliers, manufacturers and customers, as well as Government, charity, civil society and industry groups.

Jo Cullen

Chief Information Officer

Skills and experience: Jo was appointed Chief Information Officer in November 2023. Prior to this she was Group CIO at Menzies Distribution. She has extensive experience in technology and transformation and previously held senior executive positions with a range of major businesses, including Bakkavor, Anglo American and SABMiller.

Key responsibilities: Jo is responsible for IT, data and analytics, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and transformation programmes to support the delivery of the Groups’ strategic growth plans.

Yilmaz Erceyes

Chief Marketing Officer

Skills and experience: Yilmaz was appointed Chief Marketing Officer in October 2019. He joined the Company in March 2015 and worked across a number of brands as Category Director before being promoted to Marketing Director in April 2018. Prior to this, he was at Procter & Gamble for 13 years in several senior brand management roles across different geographies, having started his career in Procter & Gamble as Process Engineer.

Key responsibilities: Yilmaz has responsibility for all UK and International Marketing, Consumer Insights & Analytics, R&D and Innovation.

Mark Hughes

Procurement & Central Ops Director

Skills and experience: Mark joined the Company in 2007 as Group Procurement Director following the acquisition of RHM and added central operations responsibilities to his remit in 2013. Mark joined RHM in 2003 as Divisional Services Director (Bread Bakeries) and became Group Procurement and Logistics Director in 2006. Mark was previously director at Archer Daniels Midland Milling and held a number of senior positions at Associated British Foods.

Key responsibilities: Mark is responsible for the control and risk management of c.£550m of procurement spend. Mark also has operational responsibility for our Knighton and Charnwood sites and group oversight of Health & Safety, Food Quality and Environment.

Richard Martin

Chief Customer Officer

Skills and experience: Richard was appointed Chief Customer Officer in October 2019. He joined the business in March 2007 and has held numerous leadership roles across the group, in a broad range of functional disciplines including; customer management, commercial planning, commercial and channel strategy, marketing and category management. Prior to this, Richard held a number of senior commercial roles at Mars, Douwe Egberts and Kantar.

Key responsibilities: Richard is responsible for all UK and International Customers and commercial functions, with a focus on ensuring that the full range of our customers needs across different formats and channels is reflected in our consumer led plans.

Simon Rose

General Counsel, Company Secretary

Appointed to the Board: Simon joined the Company in August 2018 as General Counsel & Company Secretary. He sits on the plc Board in his capacity as Company Secretary.

Skills and experience: Simon was previously Head of Corporate Legal Affairs and Group Property at pladis, a global branded biscuits, confectionery and snacks business (incorporating United Biscuits, Ülker, Godiva and DeMet’s Candy Company) having originally joined United Biscuits in 2003. He is a qualified solicitor and spent 12 years in private practice at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and then as a Partner at Burges Salmon.

Key responsibilities: Simon is responsible for legal, intellectual property and corporate governance.

Paul Thompson

Operations Director

Skills and experience: Paul joined the Company in April 2015 as Grocery Operations Director and was appointed UK Operations Director in March 2017. Prior to this, Paul was at British American Tobacco for 23 years.  He held several senior manufacturing, supply chain and operations roles spanning both tobacco and alternative nicotine products across Global, Regional and local market positions in the UK, Uzbekistan, Asia Pacific North and Bangladesh.

Key responsibilities: Paul is responsible for manufacturing and logistics capabilities across nine UK sites, leading Premier Foods’ end to end supply chain in the UK and product supply to our International Businesses.

David Wilkinson

Human Resources Director

Skills and experience: David was appointed Human Resources Director in July 2014 and added IT to his responsibilities in October 2019. He joined the company in 2007 as Head of Group HR, before being appointed Director of HR Support in December 2011 and became HR Director of the Hovis Bread and Milling division in January 2013. David has previously held a number of senior HR roles at Renault Group UK, Nestle UK, Granada, and J Sainsbury PLC.

Key responsibilities: David's responsibilities cover all aspects of HR and IT, with specific emphasis on developing talent and capability, resourcing and reward, as well as overall leadership of the Human Resources function.