George Weston Foods Ltd (GWF), a division of Associated British Foods (ABF), this week announced the planned departure and retirement of Andrew Reeves and the appointment of internal successor Stuart Grainger to lead the company’s future growth.
Mr Grainger’s career with ABF spans more than 20 years and he brings a wealth of market, operational and leadership experience to this role. He has extensive experience in the food industry and in driving value across the entire food supply chain. Most recently, as managing director of Don Smallgoods, he led the business through a significant period of change, including commissioning a new $280 million state-of-the-art smallgoods factory in Castlemaine, Victoria.
“I look forward to working with all the teams across the business to build on Andrew’s legacy and continue to make GWF a company we can all take pride in,” he said. “I have held a long career in ABF, working across most parts of the food chain. To now lead an iconic company as part of the global ABF portfolio is an absolute privilege for me.”
Commenting on his career at GWF, in which he led a $100 million turnaround over the past five years, Mr Reeves said he is proud of what has been achieved.
“It is now a people-centred business, which responds to the market and the customer,” he said. “It is well-positioned to grow, innovate and build the categories in which it operates.”
Mr Grainger will officially take over the role of CEO from September 2016 and will report directly to George Weston, CEO ABF.