Premier Foods appoints new CEO and chairman
British food manufacturer, Premier Foods has appointed its UK managing director, Alex Whitehouse, as its new CEO, with current acting CEO Alistair Murray stepping down after six months in the role.
The St Albans-headquartered company also appointed Colin Day as its new chairman, replacing Keith Hamill who had announced plans to retire in May.
Whitehouse, joined Premier Foods in 2014 after holding executive roles at consumer and retail firms including Whitbread. He is credited with turning around Premier Food’s UK business, including a relaunch of the Mr Kipling cake brand, which has outperformed the rest of the group. He replaces Gavin Darby, who stepped down in January 2019 after twice-failed takeover in April 2016 from US food maker McCormick.
“Alex Whitehouse has presided over a marked turnaround of performance in PFD’s UK business, reflected in eight consecutive quarters of growth in the core branded business”, Jefferies analysts said in a note.
The company also named Duncan Leggett, director of financial control and corporate development, as finance chief.