Meat industry stalwart Andrew Cracknell has been appointed as the new chief executive of Tulip.
Cracknell, who previously held senior roles at ABP and 2 Sisters, has been give the “clear mission” of restoring earnings at Danish Crown’s UK pork business.
He takes over with immediate effect from Danish Crown boss Jais Valeur, who has held day-to-day responsibility for Tulip since June 2018, when former chief exec Steve Francis stepped down after overseeing a major restructure of the business.
“We’re in the throes of a major transformation in the UK and our focus has been on finding a leader who possesses in-depth knowledge of production as well as being a commercial heavyweight,” said Valeur. “I’m therefore extremely pleased to welcome Andrew on board.”
Cracknell began his career with the ABP Food Group more than 25 years ago, working his way up to commercial director in 2009 and becoming a member of the board. He joined Noble Foods as CEO in 2014, before taking over as MD of 2 Sisters’ red meat division in 2016.
He has been chosen to “manage the ongoing transformation of Tulip”, which was haemorrhaging a staggering £1m a week before turnaround specialist Francis took the helm in September 2016. It has since reported a “much-improved trading performance”, and has ambitions to rebuild the customer portfolio it lost in previous years.
“I am delighted to be joining Tulip Ltd and the Danish Crown family at such a key time,” said Cracknell. “With so much uncertainty in the market both domestically and globally, I believe that Tulip is strategically positioned to grow.
“The high degree of vertical integration, from farm through abattoir and processing to great-quality products, will deliver short, secure and sustainable supply chains that are vital in today’s marketplace.
“There is a lot to do and I am confident that by working together with our colleagues, our customers and suppliers we can succeed in building a sustainable future for the business.”
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