Goff promoted to Gold Blend post

Nestlé has promoted Vanessa Goff to senior category product manager of Nescafé Gold Blend following the departure of Pamela Bower-Nye.

Bower-Nye quit Nestlé to join Diageo’s UDV as UK brand director for Smirnoff. The Smirnoff position became vacant after Philip Almond quit to join Burger King as marketing director for the UK and Ireland in August (MW August 31). Bower-Nye was responsible for the repositioning and relaunch of Nescafé Gold Blend’s advertising through McCann-Erickson.

Goff was previously category product manager across the Nescafé megabrand, which encompasses the whole Nescafé range. She reports to Magdalena Teare, the former ICI Paints marketing director who joined Nestlé as category marketing director for the beverage division (MW September 21). Teare has responsibility for brands including Nescafé, Black Gold, Blend 37, Cappuccino and Coffeemate.

Simon Hardy, former consumer marketing director of Nescafé, was recently made director of a new strategic innovations unit for beverages, with responsibility for new product development and testing.

A Nestlé spokesman says: “Goff will have responsibility for developing the Gold Blend brand.”