David Milner has been appointed CEO of the UK’s fastest-growing branded bakery business, three years after joining the board. He will take over from co-founder Jeremy Gilboy, who will move to become chairman of the company.
Milner was previously responsible for driving international growth at Tyrells and progressing the Lily’s Kitchen pet food brand.
St Pierre Groupe now has a retail value of a quarter of a billion dollars, after substantial growth of its branded propositions. The business portfolio includes St Pierre, America’s number one brioche brand; Baker Street, the extended life bakery brand; and Paul Hollywood, the category-leader in part-baked bread.
As non-executive Chairman at St Pierre Groupe, Milner spent the past three years in a strategic role but will now implement growth plans internationally, alongside the senior leadership team. The appointment is part of a long-term strategy to bolster the board of directors with unrivalled experience in UK and US markets. Since 2018, St Pierre Groupe has grown its turnover by 68 per cent.
“St Pierre Groupe is a phenomenal business, doing bakery differently with its three brands," said Milner. "Since joining the business in 2018, I’ve worked with the team to achieve incredible growth. Yet there is still huge potential – it is innovative, superior quality and branded. The workforce has increased threefold in 18 months and I’m excited to guide the team to even greater success.”
“David has been instrumental in our remarkable success in the past three years and appointing him as CEO was a natural next step to prepare us to meet ambitious growth plans,” said St Pierre Groupe founder Paul Baker.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time for the company," Milner agreed. "A great brand starts with a quality product and St Pierre Groupe has quality products in abundance.
“Across the globe, consumers are shifting to more premium products – Covid simply accelerated the shift, encouraging us to innovate for and elevate everyday meals with our product ranges. As a business we are renowned for working with retailers to deliver exceptional category growth – and we are constantly reviewing the market, consumer habits and our products to ensure this continues”.
David Milner’s appointment as CEO comes with a plan to double the value of the business in the next five years.
