Milk link appoints new chairman
Ronnie Bell, former President of Kraft Foods Europe and Executive Vice President of Kraft Foods, Inc., has been appointed as the new Chairman of Milk Link - one of the UK's leading vertically integrated dairy processors.
Bell (55), who retired from his position with Kraft Foods at the end of 2003, will officially take up the position of Milk Link Chairman at the co-operative's Annual General Meeting on 20th September 2005.
Ronnie Bell has extensive experience of leading a successful consumer brands business throughout Europe, which includes overseeing the development of Kraft's major cheese brands and management of its pan-European manufacturing facilities. He also has an in-depth understanding of the complexities of the retail market in both the UK and overseas; a proven track record of generating organic growth; and substantial experience in managing acquisitions, divestments, and business re-organisations.
Jeremy Pope, Milk Link's outgoing Chairman commented:
"Since its creation in August 2000 Milk Link has evolved from being simply a milk broker into one of the UK's leading integrated dairy business. At the heart of this transformation has been our acquisition of major processing capacity, with skilled workforces, established products and valuable customer relationships. The challenge now for Milk Link is to further leverage these assets and I am convinced that Ronnie's impressive track record of commercial delivery and in particular his understanding of what makes branded and own label businesses successful will be of great benefit. I wish him every success in his new role."
Ronnie Bell added:
"I am delighted to be joining Milk Link at such an important time in its development and look forward to working closely with the Milk Link Board and executive team. Milk Link has made tremendous progress over the last few years and we now need to capitalise on these strong foundations. Above all, we need to deliver on our stated goals of ensuring for our members: milk price stability; the return of maximum added value from our processing activities; and the provision of a long term secure market for their milk."
