March Foods, one of the UK’s leading co-manufacturer and co-packers with over 25 years experience in helping brands bring food and drink products to market, has announced the appointment of Tracy Southwell as its new Managing Director with effect from August 18, 2025.
Tracy brings with her nearly 30 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, having worked for some of the biggest names in the food industry, including Florette, Barry Callebaut, New York Bakery and Unilever. In 2022, she became the first female Managing Director of Hobart Equipment Division, a brand trading for over 125 years, where she led the business with a focus on strategic clarity, sustainability and progressive people initiatives.
Her appointment at March Foods marks a strategic milestone for the company and Tracy’s ‘hands on’ leadership style and manufacturing expertise will reinforce the company’s strong foundations while accelerating its ambitious plans for growth and innovation.
March Foods recently unveiled a refreshed brand identity that reflects the scale of its ambition and the strategic direction it is taking as part of its parent company, Delightful Food Group. This evolution goes beyond visual change and signals a renewed commitment to best-in-class co-manufacturing and co-packing solutions built on quality, responsiveness and long-term partnerships.
Comments Tracy Southwell: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining March Foods at such an exciting period in its journey. With strong foundations, a talented team and trusted customer relationships already in place, my focus will be on accelerating innovation, fostering growth and keeping the company culture true to the trust, flexibility and dedication our partners associate with March Foods. Leading with purpose and having great customer focus and team is at the heart of our current and future success.”
Ricky Flax, CEO of Delightful Food Group, added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Tracy to the helm of March Foods. Her leadership skills and forward thinking approach make Tracy the ideal person to lead March Foods into its next exciting stage. Tracy’s extensive factory experience, from Florette and Barry Callebaut to Hobart, gives her unparalleled insight into the nuts and bolts of food production and her passion for sustainability, innovation, talent development and customer-first thinking is exactly what we need to future-proof our business.
“I’d also like to thank our outgoing MD Stephen Dor for his dedicated service to March Foods. Under his leadership, the business built a resilient operational framework and established a reputation for excellence. His contributions have positioned us for continued success and we wish him all the very best in his future roles.”
March Foods’ vision for the future is ambitious. The company aims to strengthen its strategic focus, accelerate growth and actively engage both its team and customers on this exciting path. By building on trusted relationships and proven performance, the business will continue to deliver the exceptional service it is known for.
Throughout this leadership transition, operations at the factory will continue seamlessly, with a handover between the outgoing and incoming MD planned. Customers can remain confident that the exceptional service and value that they’ve come to expect from March Foods will continue. Any forthcoming factory enhancements will focus on increasing our speed and agility, ensuring we continue to deliver customer success and retain the collaborative culture our customers value from March Foods.
