This appoints former Ella’s Kitchen boss Mark Cuddigan as CEO

Meat alternative brand This has appointed former Ella’s Kitchen boss Mark Cuddigan as CEO.

Cuddigan will step into the role on 19 February, allowing This founders Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman to step back from their current roles as co-CEOs.

Shovel and Sharman will remain involved in the day-to-day running of the business, supporting Cuddigan and the senior team, as well as at board level.

Cuddigan joined Ella’s Kitchen as sales & marketing director in 2011 and became managing director shortly after its acquisition by Hain Celestial Group in 2013.

He stepped into the role of CEO in 2017 and spent the next six years at the business’s helm.

Cuddigan was “a business leader with an excellent track record”, said This. He was also “a driving force behind the B Corp movement” having sat on B Lab’s board of trustees for nearly five years, it added.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Mark into the business,” said Shovel.

“Pete and I have been semi-decent early-stage CEOs, but we wanted to invite a seasoned pro to lead our baby from here.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have someone with such a rich experience within fmcg, genuine passion for our mission and an exceptional track record of driving sustainable growth through an engaged and empowered team, leading the business into the next chapter.”

Cuddigan said This was “a business on an impressive growth journey, with a strong brand, talented team and a reputation as a leader in the food industry”.

“I will be very focused on working with the team to continue to deliver category-leading growth, as we serve the millions of people across Europe who eat our products every day,” Cuddigan added.

The changes come after Mark Turner stepped down as MD at the end of January. He will be taking a short career break before taking on his next challenge.

“We would like to thank Mark for the huge amount of effort and dedication he’s shown to help get the business to its current position, both in terms of commercial support, strategic planning and on being the driving force behind so many key initiatives,” said Shovel.