Dr Oetker appoints UK head of marketing to front expansion plans
Dr Oetker, the German food brand, has appointed Matthew Wilson as its top UK marketer as part of an expansion of its marketing team. The move is intended to help the company build its flagship Ristorante brand and its share of the frozen pizza market.
The company, based in Leeds in the UK, has also appointed Marie-Anne Francois as senior category manager to work alongside him. Dr Oetker managing director Peter Franks says that the company needed to strengthen its marketing team so it can take advantage of new opportunities.
Wilson, who will have the title of senior marketing manager and will report to Franks, joins the company from Richmond Ice Cream, where he was category marketing manager for brands for three years.
He was responsible for developing innovations such as low-fat ice cream brand Skinny Cow, and also looked after the “iconic” ice cream brand Fab. Wilson has worked at Nestlé and Arla Foods, where he launched Cravendale PurFiltre fresh milk.
Francois joins Dr Oetker from Green Isle Foods, a division of Northern Foods, where she held a variety of marketing roles. Most recently she was category development manager responsible for Asda. Francois has also worked on category management for Asda’s branded and own-label frozen pizza ranges.
Dr Oetker is a leading frozen and chilled food manufacturer across Europe. It is growing through new product innovation and acquisitions. It bought yoghurt manufacturer Onken earlier this year.
