Warburtons names former PepsiCo marketer MD

Warburtons has named former PepsiCo marketing chief Neil Campbell as its managing director to lead its multi-million charge into new food categories.

WarburtonsBread-Product-2013
Warburtons new MD will lead its push to diversify from its core business and move into new categories such as snacks.

Campbell will oversee what the grocery brand claims is the “biggest single marketing investment in the baking category” this year. The company has commited to spending £16m on advertising and innovation in 2013 and diversify from its core business by moving into new categories such as snacks.

He joins this summer (1 July) from PepsiCo where he was president of Tropicana beverages for North America. The move ends a 15 year stint at the food business that also included a senior marketing role at Walkers, where it is said he mastermind the crisp brands’s long-running Gary Lineker tie-up.

The appointment caps of a year of significant upheaval for the business following the resignations of its previous MD and marketing director Robert Higginson and Richard Hayes respectively. Value sales however, rose jumped 2.2 per cent for the 52 weeks to the 21 December, as the brand invested in promotional activity and its healthier breads to stimulate demand.

Warburtons chairman Jonathan Warburton, who had taken on the role on an interim basis, says: “We believe that Neil brings with him the right experience, cultural values and leadership qualities to really drive us with pace and focus towards our vision of being one of the world’s best family food businesses.”

Recommended

Coca Cola Street Games

Coca-Cola extends Olympic legacy push

Lara O'Reilly

Coca-Cola Great Britain has extended its partnership with national sports charity Street Games for a further three years and is launching a rejuvenated campaign to strengthen its legacy commitment to improving youth participation with sport beyond the London 2012 Olympic Games.