Hovis and Ornua Foods UK senior appointments

Jenkins boasts more than 30 years' experience in the fast moving consumer goods industry and joins the company from dairy business Muller, where he spent the past two years as chief executive.  

Prior to his time at Muller, Jenkins spent 15 years at Associated British Foods, with seven years as the managing director of Twinning’s before moving on to spend four years as chief executive of Allied Milling and Baking.   

Adrian Robson, partner at Hovis owner Endless, said: “We are delighted to have Jon join the Hovis leadership team and believe his experience in the FMCG industry as well as in the bakery industry experience will be invaluable.  ​

Experience and growth  ​

“We have a strong brand, and while we face the same inflationary challenges as the wider industry, Hovis is well placed to ensure continued sustainable growth.” ​

Jenkins will take over from interim chief executive Robert Higginson, who will work with him to ensure a smooth handover and then return to his role as non-executive director of Hovis. 

Commenting on his appointment, Jenkins said: “​Hovis is an iconic British brand with a loyal following and a place in the heart of many homes. I am proud and excited to lead the brand and be part of its future.  ​

“Whilst the next year will not be easy for many, under the ownership of Endless and with a strong foundation already in place, I am excited to work with the team in delivering the next stage of growth for the brand.” ​

Ornua Foods UK appointment  ​

In other appointment news, dairy firm Ornua Foods UK has appointed Simon Ball as its new managing director. He takes over the role from Bill Hunter, who has taken on the role of Finance Director for Ornua’s Global Foods Division. 

Ball joins Ornua from Greencore, where he was Business Unit Director at their dedicated Marks and Spencer production site in Northampton. 

Commenting on his appointment, Ball said: “Given the ​very challenging market environment for all in food and drink, it is clearly more important than ever for Ornua to build on its established reputation of delivering best-in-class efficiencies, customer service, and category expertise to our retail customers. ​ ​

“I am confident we have the key fundamentals in place to enhance our position and accelerate sustainable growth, namely great people, products, partners, and state-of-the-art processing facilities. As such, I’m looking forward to working with our team here in Leek, and the wider Ornua team, to grow and develop the business further.”