According to the brand, his role will be to ensure “Speciality Breads stays at the forefront of bakery innovation”, where he will be working closely alongside new product development manager, Stewart Smith.
Simon Cannell, managing director at Speciality Breads, said: “This new role is critical for the direction in which we want to take the business. Neil’s role is about developing ideas and solutions for customers and Stewart’s is about finding ways to turn those ideas into reality.
“Having worked with Neil for a number of years, I knew that he was a perfect fit for our business. He has a broad skill set, vast experience and has always been great at developing instant rapport with customers of all sizes. He’s absolutely our kind of people!”
Smith has nearly 20 years experience working as a professional chef, moving into development, marketing and product in 2000. He has since held roles at Ferndale – as development chef and innovation development manager - and Brakes, where he worked as the marketing manager of desserts, bakery and ready meals, bakery sales development manager, head of food marketing and also head of food (Brakes Professional Food Market).
He said: “When Simon told me the vision for the brand it was something I just couldn’t say no to, so I’m thrilled and excited to be part of the team. Everything that Speciality Breads stands for is what I believe in; great quality British ingredients, hand finished products and a true passion for what we do. I can’t wait to share that with our customers, both current and new.”