Premier Foods hires former SABMiller marketer to boost brands
Premier Foods has named SABMiller’s former strategy and innovation chief Pam Powell to help identify opportunities for growth for its eight power brands.
Powell joins the food business as a non-executive director with immediate effect. She is tasked with driving the growth of brands such as Hovis and Mr Kipling as the business looks to build on 2012’s increase in marketing spend.
She spent nine years at SABMiller, the world’s second largest brewer by sales, where she is credited as managing the development of its first group-wide commercial strategy. Powell also held several marketing positions at Unilever, culminating in her role as vice president of the skin care category at Unilever.
David Beever, chairman of Premier Foods, says Powell’s appointment is part of an ongoing push to strengthen the board’s marketing.
He adds: [Powell’s] significant experience in marketing global consumer brands will be a tremendous benefit as Premier Foods looks to accelerate the growth of its Power Brands. We very much look forward to her contribution and welcome her to the board.”
The move comes just weeks after Premier Foods credited a step-up in marketing around its core brands for helping to increase sales in the first quarter of 2013. The group revealed a 2.2 per cent rise in brand sales to £275m in the three months to 31 March. Power brands grew 3.5 per cent over the same period.
