New chief executive for Federation of Bakers

The Federation of Bakers (FOB) has appointed a new Chief Executive, Andrew Pyne, taking over from Gordon Polson today, Tuesday 12 April.

Andrew Pyne brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, following a 20-year-plus career in the breakfast cereal industry at Nestlé Cereals (Cereal Partners Worldwide). He held a range of UK and international communication roles and has a deep understanding of food manufacturers’ reputation issues, the health and nutrition arena and government policy, as well as European Public Affairs.

Before coming to the FOB, Andrew was actively involved in the breakfast cereal category’s UK and EU trade associations, forging influential links with policy makers, and was Chair of Communications in both. Andrew is well known in Food & Drink Federation circles, having successfully completed a variety of assignments over an 18-month period from 2020, including Corporate Affairs and Associations Management.

The FOB is the trade association representing the largest baking companies in the UK, who produce sliced and wrapped bread, bakery snacks and other bakery products. The UK bakery sector is a £4 billion industry at retail sales value, employing around 75,000 people and supplying over 80 per cent of the nation’s bread.

“I am delighted to be joining the Federation of Bakers to support the plant bread bakery industry, who are critical to feeding the nation,” said Pyne. “They have an outstanding reputation and resilience, having faced recent COVID challenges, and now issues of rising energy and wheat prices from the Ukraine conflict. My predecessor, Gordon Polson, has created a strong Federation, and goes into retirement after seventeen years, leaving large footprints. I now look forward to working with Mike Roberts and the FOB Board and supporting them to help make an environment in which the FOB and its members can continue to flourish and grow.”

Polson said: “I have been with FOB since 2005, and I have enjoyed every day. It’s been an odd couple of years to finish on. Any one of Brexit, Covid or Ukraine would have been enough – three in a row is unprecedented.

“Thank you all for your support to me and FOB. I wish you all individually, your businesses and collectively, every success. The message of the value of bread as part of a healthy balanced diet must go on and I have no doubt that it will do, with the appointment of my successor Andrew Pyne.”