New Senior Appointments at Dawn Farm Foods
New top level appointments have been announced by Dawn Farm Foods, one of Europe’s leading cooked and fermented meats suppliers, and its subsidiary TMI Foods.
David Abbott, Managing Director of Northampton-based TMI Foods, one of the UK’s leading manufacturer of cooked bacon, sausages and roasted vegetables, is leaving the company in August after 20 years to take up a new position in another sector of the food industry. David led the company successfully from a ‘start-up’ operation, through a management buyout and the subsequent sale to Dawn Farms in 2006.
He will be succeeded by Declan Kennedy (pictured), who joins TMI Foods as General Manager. Declan is a veteran of the food processing industry and has held a number of operational management positions throughout his career at businesses including Green Isle Foods and Irish County Meats.
At the same time, Dawn Farms has united and expanded both its own and the TMI Foods sales operations in the UK under Sales Director Ian Ritchie. The sales team will be based at TMI Foods’ modern factory offices in Northampton.
As a result of the restructuring, Martin Horsnail has been appointed to the new position of Business Development Director (Retail) for both Dawn Farms and TMI Foods.
Martin (45) joins the company from the Ardo Group, one of the world’s largest frozen fruit and vegetable producers, where he was UK Sales Director from 2004.
Martin has worked in the food industry for 22 years and has previously held commercial positions with Cranberry Foods and Geest, before it was acquired by Bakkavor Group. He also worked in brand management roles with the brewers Courage and the home baking brand Pillsbury.
Dawn Farms exports 80% of its output to over 40 countries worldwide and is an important supplier to major European and UK food manufacturers in the ready meal and recipe dish sector, sandwich and pizza industries, foodservice and retail. It has one of the most modern meat technology operations of any cooked meat factory in the European Union.
TMI Foods, which it acquired six years ago, has the most modern cooked ingredients plant of its type in Europe, producing 10 million rashers of bacon a week and supplying cooked ingredients to retail, manufacturing and food service customers throughout the UK and Western Europe. Earlier this year, it became the first cooked bacon company to achieve the Red Tractor quality assurance standard.
