Kraft Heinz has appointed Lucy Hovey as chief financial officer for the UK & Ireland effective immediately.

Hovey brings decades of executive leadership experience across the FMCG industry to the role. She succeeds Darren Vries, who is exiting the role after over 8 years with Kraft Heinz.

Hovey previously worked at FMCG giant Unilever prior to this role, where she served in multiple senior finance leadership positions for 13 years.

Most recently, Hovey worked as the CFO for UK & Ireland’s Personal Care business while also serving as finance lead for Deodorants and Skin Cleansing across Europe.

Additionally, she worked across a number of major brand names within the company, including Dove and Lynx, where she led a significant business turnaround, according to the business.

Hovey started her career as a financial advisor at KMPG for retail businesses, including Tesco, Diageo and Mars.

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As part of the role, Hovey will lead the UK and Ireland’s finance department, planning the overall financial strategy and multi-year plans at the business.

Marta Pilczuk, MD for Kraft Heinz UK & Ireland said: “Lucy is a highly accomplished finance leader with a strong track record of partnering closely with commercial teams to deliver profitable, sustainable growth.

“Her breadth of experience across category and business-unit leadership, combined with her collaborative, people first approach, will be invaluable as we continue to build momentum in the UK & Ireland.”

This move aims to strengthen the company’s leadership team as it continues to push towards growth in the UK and Ireland.