The Federation of Bakers (FOB) has appointed a new chief executive, Andrew Pyne, who took over from Gordon Polson starting April 12. Pyne takes on the new role after more than 20 years in the breakfast cereal industry at Nestlé Cereals (Cereal Partners Worldwide). He held a range of UK and international communication roles. Before coming to the FOB, Pyne was actively involved in the breakfast cereal category’s UK and EU trade associations and was Chair of Communications in both. 

“I am delighted to be joining the Federation of Bakers to support the plant bread bakery industry, who are critical to feeding the nation. 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 retires after 17 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,” Pyne said.

Retiring Chief Executive Gordon Polson also said in a joint statement: “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 do not doubt that it will do, with the appointment of my successor Andrew Pyne.”

The Federation of Bakers (FOB) represents the largest baking companies in the UK, which produce sliced and wrapped bread, bakery snacks and other bakery products. The UK bakery sector is a GBP 4 billion industry at retail sales value, employing around 75,000 people and supplying over 80% of the country’s bread.

Photo credit: Federation of Bakers, UK