2 Sisters’ transformation continues: Top team bolstered with key new hires

• Group strengthens leadership positions with five key appointments
• Trusted lieutenants take over People, UK Poultry and Transformation functions
• New Strategy role reports directly to CEO Kers: MD Keith Packer moves to Meals

Food manufacturing giant 2 Sisters Food Group has made further moves to strengthen its leadership team.

CEO Ronald Kers has conducted a ‘root and branch’ review of his senior teams, identifying roles and individuals that will best move the organisation forward.

The new appointments include:

• Strengthening the focus on people and compliance, Lee Greenbury joins in the newly-created role of Group People and Compliance Director. Lee joins from Muller where he held the position of Director of Legal for the past six years.

• Following Meal Solutions MD Simon Wookey’s departure in November, current UK Poultry Managing Director Keith Packer has agreed to fill his role on a permanent basis. Interim Meal Solutions Managing Director William Duncanson will help with Keith’s transition.

Keith Packer

• With Keith’s transition across divisions, Andrew McInnes joins as Managing Director of the UK Poultry business. Andrew joins from Muller where he was Managing Director of Milk & Ingredients, previously having a 11-year track record at Muller as CFO and in various commercial finance roles.

• Heading the new transformation team as Transformation Director will be Seb Jones. Seb joins after a 23-year career at Muller, most recently as Global Group Integration Director. He brings significant experience in change, programme management and strategy roles as well as UK operational leadership experience in both branded and private label FMCG industries.

Seb Jones

• Marvilano Mochtar joins in the newly-created role of Strategy Manager.Reporting directly to Kers, Marvilano will help him and the wider business with strategy formulation and implementation. Marvilano joins from the Boston Consulting Group.

Marvilano Mochtar

Ronald Kers said: “Transforming 2 Sisters requires top team effort. By bringing in the right people in the right roles, we are building the foundations of a disciplined, high performance organisation”.

“If we are to truly become the leading international food business, trusted and respected by all stakeholders, then we need to have the strongest possible leadership team. We continuously need to set the bar higher and deliver for our customers, consumers and ourselves, and I know this new team will do that.”

Marvilano joins on October 15th; Andrew and Seb on October 29th with Lee and Keith starting on January 1st.

Ronald acknowledged the pace of change after being in post since June, and also that three of the new hires came from his previous business, Muller, where he was global CEO.

Ronald added: “I want us to turnaround our business performance as soon as possible, and although we are making some progress already, I want to accelerate the pace. I know that having a strong, senior leadership team in place that I know and who have a track record of delivery is essential. I have worked very closely with Andrew, Lee and Seb over the years and I am confident they can hit the ground running and add great value to 2 Sisters.”

“I would like to thank William Duncanson for holding the reigns in the interim and credit Keith Packer for helping to start the turnaround of the UK Poultry division during his short time in post. I know with his experience at 2 Sisters he is extremely well-placed to build on Simon’s good work. Andrew is an accomplished food industry leader and I know he will bring further professionalism and delivery to our poultry operations, while Marvilano and Seb will bring much-needed strategic insight and process excellence to all of our businesses.

“This is an unprecedented period of change at 2 Sisters. But it is a period that has to happen. Sometimes periods of rapid change can be unsettling. But we do need the best possible team to bring a laser-like focus on becoming more disciplined in our execution to achieve our goals of improved profitable growth and a strong balance sheet.”