Allied Bakeries is to get a new supply chain director as Paul Longley steps down following a 37-year career with the bread giant.

Jacquie Cahill will join Allied Bakeries on 1 September and will be responsible for overseeing ­logistics operations at the Associated British Foods-owned company. She will work across a wide range of projects including Project Athena an investment ­initiative launched earlier this year to improve business performance through customer service.

The appointment marks a return to Allied for Cahill. She previously worked at Allied Bakeries as supply chain development manager from May 2005 to September 2007, before leaving to take on the role of global supply director at pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

“Allied Bakeries is paving the way for the bakery industry through its continued investment in people, infrastructure and its brands,” she said. “There couldn’t be a better time for me to join this dynamic and innovative company and I look forward to leading a team with a proven track record in delivering excellent results.”

Longley will retire from Allied at the end of September. He joined the company in 1974 as a van salesman at GW Whittons Bakery in Lincoln. For 25 years, he held sales and general manager roles at a number of sites before becoming head of operations field sales in 1999. From 2003, he was involved in supply chain development projects and joined the board as logistics director in 2008.

As logistics director he worked on a number of projects including the ­introduction of new ‘Teardrop’ trucks to its fleet of vehicles in July last year to reduce the carbon footprint of its urban deliveries.

“Paul contributed to positioning Allied Bakeries as a business that consistently delivers world-class ­service to major retailers, c-stores, foodservice outlets and the wholesale sector,” a spokeswoman said. “He leaves the logistics team with the skills to deliver unrivalled service that sets Allied Bakeries apart from the competition.”

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