Hovis hires first CMO to ‘unlock full potential’

Hovis has hired former General Mills marketing director Mark Brown as its first CMO, with the aim of “unlocking the full potential” of the brand.

Brown spent more than 13 years at food giant General Mills, which makes brands like Cheerios and Häagen-Dazs, most recently as the company’s director for Europe and Australasia, while also holding global responsibility for Old El Paso and the company’s snack brands.

Brown is an experienced FMCG marketer, having worked at Weetabix, Mondelez and Kerry Foods prior to his time at General Mills. He will be Hovis’s first CMO, with the introduction of the role aimed at the “acceleration of growth” at the brand.

“Mark brings with him the right experience and leadership qualities to help drive the brand forward,” says Hovis CEO Jon Jenkins. “I look forward to working with him to unlock the full potential in the market for Hovis and our customers.”

According to information on recruiter TML Partner’s website, Hovis’s brief to them was to find an experienced marketing leader “who could shape the future of Hovis, elevate marketing capabilities within the business and ultimately drive growth through increased brand penetration and consumer engagement”.

TML Partners states that the UK bakery segment is a “tough” market to operate in, with plenty of pressure from private-label, as well as brand competitors, but says there is room for growth in the segment.

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Hovis has been on something of a turnaround journey. In the year ended 30 September 2023, its earnings were £26.8m, up from a loss of £6m in the previous 30 weeks. The brand’s turnaround has been led by Jenkins, who has previous transformation experience under his belt, including in his previous role leading Müller.

Speaking to PA news agency, Jenkins said that the private equity-owned brand had increased prices by 15% to 30% in its last financial year, but it expected to hold prices stable in 2024.

Having returned to “sustainable growth” in 2023, Hovis has been “focused on strengthening its competitive position in the market”. This has included the launch of a new ad in April, which brought back the brand’s famed line, ‘As good today as it’s always been’. The £2m campaign marked the brand’s first TV ad since 2021, and was aimed at supporting volume growth in its core bread business, something that will be crucial for business growth as the impact of price increases wains.

Brown says he is “delighted” to become the first chief marketing officer of “one of the nation’s most loved brands”.

“I’m looking forward to working together with the team to focus on the growth of the brand, with some exciting plans in the pipeline,” he says.