Marks and Spencer has announced the appointment of Fiona Dawson, as a non-executive director.

Dawson currently holds the position of global president of Mars Food and will join the M&S board from 25 May 2021.

She started her career at Mars through a graduate trainee scheme and has held senior positions within the company which include, president of global retail and Mars Chocolate UK and European marketing vice president.

“As a business leader, Fiona has been a trailblazer as the first-ever female General Manager at Mars UK, helping steer not just Mars but also the broader food industry through challenging health and regulatory issues,” M&S chairman Archie Norman said.

“Fiona has epitomised Mars’ culture of driving growth with a strong moral compass. Her focus on coupling societal change with performance, underpinned by a strong corporate culture, make her a superb fit for Marks & Spencer.”

The news comes as M&S announced the appointment of former chief executive officer Evelyn Bourke as a non-executive director.

Earlier this week M&S started legal action against Aldi in an effort to protect its Colin the Caterpillar cake with a claim that its rival’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar product infringes its trademark.

M&S, which lodged an intellectual property claim with the High Court this week, is arguing that the similarity of Aldi’s product leads consumers to believe they are of the same standard and “ride on the coat-tails” of M&S’s reputation with the product.