Plant-based meat alternative brand This has appointed former Ella’s Kitchen chief executive Mark Cuddigan as its new CEO.
Cuddigan joined the baby food giant in 2011 and held a variety of roles including managing director and CEO, before leaving the company late last year.
This founders and co-CEO’s Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman will step down on 19 February, but will remain involved at board level, supporting Cuddigan and the senior team, Vegconomist reported.
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Cuddigan said: “I will be very focused on working with the team to continue to deliver category-leading growth, as we serve the millions of people across Europe who eat our products every day.
“One of the vital ways of combating global warming is transitioning to a plant-based diet and we will have a crucial role in making this transition a great experience for consumers.”
It comes after a big year for the meat alternative brand, with 2023 having marked This’ first international launch into the Netherlands through an exclusive partnership with supermarket chain Albert Heijn.
This also secured investment from ITV in September – the broadcast network’s latest first investment in a food company.
ITV agreed to subscribe for £1.5m of shares in parent company Plant Meat Limited, with the option to subscribe for two additional tranches of £1.5m each, in return for advertising inventory across ITV’s channels and ITVX.
Shovel added: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Mark into the business. Pete and I have been semi-decent early-stage CEOs, but we wanted to invite a seasoned pro to lead our baby from here.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to have someone with such a rich experience within FMCG, genuine passion for our mission, and an exceptional track record of driving sustainable growth through an engaged and empowered team, leading the business into the next chapter on the This journey.”
