Food giant Premier Foods – the company behind Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Bisto and Angel Delight, among others – has appointed a new chief customer officer to drive “the next stage of its growth”.
Matt Roberts will start next month and succeed Richard Martin, who is retiring after almost 20 years with the company.
He joins from Karo Healthcare, where he has been chief commercial officer since 2021, managing the global commercial team to help accelerate overall business growth.
Prior to that Roberts spent 16 years at Johnson & Johnson including a spell as global head of commercial strategy and managing director of Northern Europe. He also spent eight years at in senior strategy and planning roles at Procter & Gamble.
Premier Foods, which can trace its roots back to 1837 and the launch of Bird’s custard, recently reported strong Q3 results after the Christmas trading period, with overall revenue up 4.2% to £375.1m.
McCann London handles the company’s advertising and marketing account, Carat UK runs media planning and buying.
CEO Alex Whitehouse said: “Matt brings a wealth of consumer goods and commercial experience, with a strong track record of driving growth in branded consumer businesses. His expertise across customer leadership, category strategy and in-market execution will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our partnerships with retailers and deliver long-term growth.
“His experience growing consumer brands overseas also aligns with our ambitious growth plans to build our international businesses. I am delighted to welcome him to Premier Foods and to the executive leadership team.”
Roberts added: “Premier Foods is home to some of the most loved and well-known food brands in the UK and has great ambitions for the future, underpinned by a clear and proven strategy to grow the business in the UK and internationally.
“I am delighted to be joining the business and working with the rest of the leadership team to take Premier Foods to the next stage of its growth, deepening our partnerships with customers, and building on its strong track record in recent years.”
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