Global food manufacturer Dr. Oetker has announced several changes to its senior leadership team in the UK.
Georg Heerdegen Parsbo has stepped down from his role of joint Managing Director of Dr. Oetker UK to become a member of the company’s International Board.
He is being replaced by John Brassington, previously Executive Head of UK Sales, as joint MD responsible for sales, marketing, category, insights & NRM, I&D, quality assurance, HR, and act as coach for Dr. Oetker Ireland.
Matt Pringle, previously Head of Sales – channel development at Dr. Oetker UK will join the leadership team to take over the Executive Head of UK Sales role.
Meanwhile, Johannes Rosenthal will continue to serve as the other MD and also assume responsibility for the company’s UK production operations in Leyland in addition to his current responsibilities of supply chain, finance, admin, purchasing and IT.
Brassington commented: “Thanks to strong direction over the past four years from both Georg and Johannes, we’re in an incredibly exciting position to capitalise on opportunities within the categories we operate. I’m looking forward to taking on the challenges of driving future growth.”
The move comes as the business looks to promote the strategic development of the company and continue growth in its core categories of home baking & frozen pizza.
Since joining the UK board in March 2018, the company highlighted that Parsbo and Rosenthal had helped the business increase its market penetration and sales. From £214.5m RSV reaching 16.7m UK households to £243.3m RSV (IRI Data. 1 January 2022), reaching 17.4m UK households.
This has been achieved by growing its core brands, including Chicago Town, Ristorante, Taylor and Colledge, and Dr. Oetker Baking. The company has also been introducing new brands, including the recently launched ‘The Good Baker’, a non-HFSS frozen pizza range with a focus on health and sustainability.
