Plant-based convenience food group Fiid has shaken up its management team as it looks to further expand the business in the UK.
Food industry veteran Julia Kessler has been named as chief executive of the business founded by Shane Ryan, who is stepping back from the CEO role but will remain on the company’s board.
Ms Kessler, who is based in the UK, will run the business from there as it looks to build on its position in the UK market.
Giselle Makinde has also joined the new management team as head of its Irish market. Ms Makinde, a chef by training, was founder of Cream of the Crop which specialised in making artisan ice cream from surplus food supplied by farmers, growers and food producers.
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Catherine Lambe, who has spent much of her career with Musgrave in a series of senior commercial positions, takes over as chairman.
The Irish company specialises in nutritious plant-based microwaveable meals with a long shelf life. It was founded in 2018 by Mr Ryan.
Fiid, the trading name of Eat Feed Limited, was one of the first companies to use the Scarp small business rescue scheme in 2023. It emerged from the process with new funding from John Conroy’s Redesdale Food and Beverage Fund.
At the time, Redesdale partner John Stapleton said the company would focus on breaking into the UK market. Scaling up that business, and bringing on board more experienced executives to do so, is understood to have been the driver behind the management shake-up.
“With Julia as a seasoned and competent CEO, and Catherine providing her depth of commercial and governance experience as chairwoman, Fiid is well positioned for its next phase of growth,” Mr Stapleton said.
Ms Kessler said she was honoured to build on the foundations of the business lid by Mr Ryan “to bring Fiid to even more people looking for food that’s as good for them as it is convenient”.
