Hilton Food Group has introduced a new regional leadership structure, appointing two chief operating officers for its Eastern and Western operations.
In a statement today (8 January), the UK-headquartered private-label supplier said the changes “reflect the ongoing structure and development” of the company.
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The move follows changes at the top level of the London-listed business.
Former chief executive Steve Murrells left the group in late November, around two years after his predecessor, Philip Heffer, exited the role.
Chairman Mark Allen replaced Murrells in an executive chair role “while the board considers CEO succession”, the meat, seafood and plant-based business said at the time.
Under the new set-up announced today, non-executive director Samy Zekhout has stepped down from the board to become COO for the West region.
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By GlobalDataHilton said he will be responsible for operations in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal and, “at an appropriate point in the future”, the group’s expansion in Canada.
The company described Zekhout as having “deep knowledge and experience of leading international businesses and proven operational leadership, which will provide strong strategic oversight across these important markets”.
He was CFO and deputy CEO at Nomad Foods from 2018 to 2024 and previously spent over three decades at Procter & Gamble in roles spanning global operations.
For the Eastern region, Hilton has named Melanie Chambers as COO.
Chambers, currently the group’s APAC CEO, will assume responsibility for activities in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
According to Hilton, she brings “significant experience leading complex businesses in growing markets” and the expanded remit builds on her work leading the APAC region since joining the company three years ago.
Commenting on the latest moves, chairman Allen said these changes “strengthen our leadership across both established and high-growth regions”, while positioning the group “well to deliver its strategic objectives, which we look forward to sharing with you in due course”.
Announcing Murrells’ departure in November, Hilton Food acknowledged that “current trading remains challenging”.
Earlier that month, the company downgraded its 2025 profit forecast, pointing to a “difficult” outlook in the new financial year.
Expectations for pre-tax profit in 2025 were trimmed to a range of £72-75m ($94.5-98.4m) from the September outlook of £76.8m to £81m.
