Golden Wonder picks ex-UB marketer as ceo
Golden Wonder has drafted in former Unilever and United Biscuits heavyweight Ed Jackson as its new chief executive.
He replaces Paul Monk, who left to start a venture capital company earlier this year.
Jackson has worked in a number of senior marketing and general management roles. He was marketing director at Lever Bros before the company restructured its operations to work in business groups almost a decade ago.
After spending time working for Unilever’s Spanish operation, Jackson resurfaced in 1998 at United Biscuits (UB) where he took the role of managing director of development operations. He held this role for two years, until he was made redundant after a restructure at UB (MW December 7, 2000).
Jackson joins Golden Wonder at a time of change for the company. Last year, it was sold by private equity company Bridgepoint Capital to Middle-eastern packaged goods company Longulf, for &£300m. At the same time, Golden Wonder sold its Wotsits brand to Walkers Snack Foods. Later in the year, marketing director Paul Boothman left and was replaced by category marketing director Kirsty Taylor (MW August 15, 2002).
The company announced a &£25m marketing budget for 2003, its biggest to date, to push the Nik Naks, Wheat Crunchies and Golden Wonder brands. J Walter Thompson is understood to have picked up the majority of the advertising business (MW February 20). Golden Wonder is in talks with an unnamed sports star to front corporate and trade communications.
