Premier Foods, one of the UK’s largest food businesses, announces the appointment of Matt Roberts as Chief Customer Officer, following the decision of Richard Martin to retire after almost 20 years with the Group. Matt will join the business on 13 April and will become a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
Matt brings extensive consumer goods experience, having spent the majority of his career at Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble, working with many leading and well-known consumer brands across both UK and international markets. He joins Premier Foods from Karo Healthcare, where he has served as Chief Commercial Officer since 2021, leading its global commercial team and helping to accelerate growth across its portfolio of consumer health brands.
Over the course of his career, Matt has held senior leadership roles across shopper marketing, category management and commercial strategy, as well as customer leadership positions, working closely with many of the leading UK and international retailers.
Alex Whitehouse, chief executive officer of Premier Foods, said: “Matt brings a wealth of consumer goods and commercial experience, with a strong track record of driving growth in branded consumer businesses. His expertise across customer leadership, category strategy and in-market execution will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our partnerships with retailers and deliver long-term growth. His experience growing consumer brands overseas also aligns with our ambitious growth plans to build our international businesses. I am delighted to welcome him to Premier Foods and to the Executive Leadership Team.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Richard for his significant contribution to Premier Foods over nearly 20 years. He has been an integral member of the leadership team that led the Company’s turnaround and has built Premier Foods into the leading FTSE 250 business it is today. Underpinning this has been the modernisation of our customer teams and strengthened customer relationships, which has been key in delivering sustained and strong branded revenue growth. We all wish him the best in his retirement.”
Matt Roberts, incoming chief customer officer of Premier Foods, said: “Premier Foods is home to some of the most loved and well-known food brands in the UK and has great ambitions for the future, underpinned by a clear and proven strategy to grow the business in the UK and internationally. I am delighted to be joining the business and working with the rest of the leadership team to take Premier Foods on the next stage of its growth, deepening our partnerships with customers, and building on its strong track record in recent years.”
