Senior hires at Wessanen look to drive UK brand growth
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Bryan Martins and Matin MacDonald have been recruited to deliver sustainability-focused UK sales & marketing strategy
Pioneering natural food company Wessanen – owner of Clipper Teas, Kallø, Whole Earth and Mrs Crimble’s – has bolstered its senior management team with the strategic appointments of both a new marketing & category director and sales director to head up the company’s marketing and sales division in the UK.
Bryan Martins has joined the B Corp Certified business as marketing & category director, bringing with him close to 15 years’ experience in the food and drink sector, including a lengthy tenure at Danone where he oversaw marketing for the company’s dairy department and also worked across its waters portfolio spanning Evian, Volvic and Badoit.
Matin MacDonald has taken up the role of sales director at Wessanen UK, joining the company after a long career at Unilever and RB. He has extensive experience across leading personal care and health brands including Persil, Dove and Nurofen.
Bryan and Matin’s joint priority is to build awareness of Wessanen’s connecting to nature mission and B Corp certification, and show retailers how this can directly support their sustainability goals and help them to achieve category growth. With their combined insight, the pair will focus on how Wessanen UK’s purpose-led brands can deliver added value for retailers.
Bryan Martins, Wessanen UK marketing & category director, comments: “What excites me most about joining Wessanen UK is having the opportunity to unlock the huge growth potential that lies behind our UK brands, all of which already have established loyal followings and clear market positions: from Clipper, the world’s largest Fairtrade tea brand, to Whole Earth, the UK’s number one peanut butter brand. All of our brands have their own unique heritage story and are well positioned to satisfy consumer trends and meet demand for food that’s better for people and for the planet.”
Matin MacDonald, sales director at Wessanen UK, adds: “Wessanen’s clear mission places nature as the driving force behind all that we do as a business. This means that we can have a very different conversation with our retail partners – one that not only directly supports category growth via our popular and innovative brands, but that also directly supports sustainability strategies from waste reduction to supply chain management.”
The duo join Wessanen at an exciting time for the business, with Wessanen UK and its Whole Earth, Clipper Teas and Kallo brands having just achieved B Corp certification– becoming part of a powerful and growing global movement that looks to make a positive difference through sustainable and ethical business practices.
