October appointments round-up

Food & beverage industry appointments

John West appointed Neal Woods as its new commercial director for the UK, effective end of September.

Woods returns to John West UK after three successful years as general manager of John West Ireland, where he also served as interim General Manager of John West Netherlands for a year.

Managing director Mark Doherty noted that Woods’ leadership will be pivotal in driving the company’s Strategy 2030 — strengthening category leadership and growing market share. Woods has been with John West and parent company Thai Union for over 12 years.

Walker’s Shortbread announced Justin Stead as the company’s new chair, officially assuming the role on October 22. Stead brings decades of experience leading global consumer brands.

He is currently chair of Le Col and Baby Mori and was previously CEO of Radley London and the Watches of Switzerland Group. He succeeds Bob Brannan, who held the position for the previous seven years, becoming only the third ever Chair of Walker’s.

Purity Soft Drinks, makers of Juice Burst and Firefly, appointed David Collard as chairman, effective September 2025. Collard brings extensive leadership experience from the food and drink sector, most recently as CEO and chair of The Bart Ingredients Company. He succeeds Rooney Anand, who stepped down after 13 years with the business.

Bakers Basco, the equipment recovery operation managed by UK bakers like Frank Roberts & Sons, Hovis, and Warburtons, recruited Richard Morrice as Investigations Officer to head up its investigations team in Scotland. Morrice has more than 20 years of experience in investigative work. His role will focus on monitoring the loss and correct use of Omega equipment within the supply chain and conducting usage audits.

Technology & manufacturing sector

Servomex, experts in gas analysis, appointed Giovanni De Dona as its Senior Global Product Manager. He joins the Purity & Specialty (P&S) gases team at the US Technical Center in Woburn, Massachusetts. De Dona will be responsible for the SERVOPRO DF-500, DF-700, and MonoExact DF150/DF310 product ranges, with a particular focus on the semiconductor market.

CKF Systems Ltd announced two appointments: Steve Spencer (right) was appointed as sales & marketing director. He brings 35 years of experience in the industry and has a proven ability to drive strategic vision.

Declan Walker (left, above) was appointed as head of automation. Walker has over a decade of experience in control systems, robotic automation, AMR’s, and latest vision technologies. He will lead CKF’s controls and applications team, focusing on developing new strategic opportunities for automation technology.

Eriez named Chien Dang Tran as country manager in Vietnam, reinforcing the company’s commitment to expanding across Southeast Asia. In this newly established position, Tran will shape Eriez’ strategy by cultivating partnerships and collaborating with regional representatives to provide tailored separation technologies.

Specialty & service appointments

Clasado Biosciences, which focuses on gut health ingredients, appointed Marcelo Durante as vice president of sales & marketing. Durante’s almost 30-year career spans food ingredients, flavours, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. He will lead Clasado’s commercial team, with CEO Per Rehné noting his experience is perfectly suited as consumer awareness of gut health has passed an important tipping point. The appointment was effective Monday, October 20, 2025.

Antalis Packaging appointed Mandy Fleming as national business development manager. Fleming brings nearly nine years in the packaging industry and 16 years in the print and stationery arena. In this role, she will drive and support new business across the UK national team, with a focus on e-commerce, 3PL, and sustainability.

Soufflet Malt, the world’s leading maltster, named Nicolas Carré as its new chief financial officer and deputy chief executive officer. Carré will help drive the company’s MALTiply 2030 strategic roadmap and focus on building strategic partnerships and leading digital transformation. Before joining Soufflet Malt, he was Group CFO of Eramet and played a key role in taking Tarkett public. The appointment was announced on September 22, 2025.