Alan Thomas Sleaford

Alan Thomas

Sleaford Quality Foods has appointed Alan Thomas as group head of finance.

Thomas is seen as a key component in helping the dried fruit and veg specialist achieve its growth ambitions by the end of the 2020-21 financial year. He has many years' experience of food industry finance after spending more than 15 years as head of finance at Bakkavor before becoming finance manager at PepsiCo in Leicester and then finance director at Walkers Midshire Foods, part of Samworth Brothers.

Thomas said Sleaford's growth ambitions and the opportunity to work with managing director James Arnold were key reasons for the switch.

'James as an MD is an engaging person to work alongside,' Thomas said. 'The expansion plans that he outlined to me were exciting and we're now busy putting plans into place for the next four years to achieve our targets. There are huge opportunities for the company to add to its foodservice and manufacturing channels and to expand into the retail sector. It's an exciting time to be working here.'

Arnold added: 'It's great to have Alan on board for what will be a period of rapid growth for Sleaford Quality Foods, and he will play an integral role in that. Alan's strategic vision capabilities will be vital as we look to grow into different markets. His focus on the performance of our business will go a long way to ensuring we meet our turnover growth targets by the end of 2021.'