Kerry Foods appoints former T-Mobile boss to group role

Kerry Foods has appointed Phil Chapman, former T-Mobile marketing director, as its new group marketing director.

The Ireland-based food group, which owns brands including Walls sausages, Homepride flour, Cheestrings and Mattessons, has appointed Chapman to oversee brand development and promotions from the company’s headquarters.

Chapman will begin his job next week and will be based at Kerry’s headquarters in County Kerry.

The role is newly created, and he will work closely with each brand’s marketing directors, a spokeswoman confirmed.

Chapman left T-Mobile in November last year after three years as marketing director. During his time at the mobile network, he helped to launch the operator’s successful Flext tariff, and the MyFaves and Web’n’Walk services.

This week, Kerry Foods launched a range of pastry products under its revamped Walls branding, emphasising “authenticity and honesty” and aiming to ensure consumers are aware that Walls makes pastries as well as sausages.

Packaging for the new range, which will include Cornish pasties, pork pies and sausage rolls, will feature “an idealised English countryside and bountiful farmland” to give a message of care and craft in the making of the products.

The new brand identity was created by Ziggurat Brands in collaboration with advertising agency Beattie McGuiness Bungay.

An outdoor advertising campaign highlighting the new pastry range will launch in the next few weeks.