Kitwave appoints Dr Marnie Millard OBE as non-executive chair

Kitwave Group has appointed Dr Marnie Millard OBE to its board as non-executive chair.

Millard (pictured), who replaces the company’s outgoing chair Steve Smith, brings over 20 years of executive and board-level experience in the FMCG industry and a proven track record of delivering sustainable growth, leading mergers & acquisitions activity and driving brand value.

She spent eight years as CEO of Nichols, where she increased market capitalisation by 60% to £450 million and doubled the Vimto brand’s retail sales value to £110 million. Also under her leadership, Nichols completed five acquisitions.

Earlier in her career, Millard held senior commercial roles at Macaw and Gerber Juice, before going on to hold multiple company board positions. She currently holds non-executive chair roles at Marks Electricals, University Academy 92, and MyPura.com. Last year, she joined the board of Applied Nutrition, where she is a senior independent director and chair of the remuneration committee.

Millard’s contributions to British business and the beverages industry were publicly recognised with an OBE for Services to Business and International Trade in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours. She has also served as president of the British Soft Drinks Association and chair of CBI North West, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Salford.

Ben Maxted, chief executive officer of Kitwave, commented: “On behalf of everyone at Kitwave, I am delighted to welcome Marnie to the board as our new chair. We believe that her experience and expertise will be of huge value as we continue to drive our growth strategy and enhance our customer offering. We are all looking forward to working with Marnie and, together, delivering further value for the group and its shareholders.

“We are also hugely thankful to our outgoing chair, Steve Smith, for his unwavering commitment and support. Steve joined in 2016, playing an integral role in our corporate development, which later led to our IPO in 2021 and our subsequent expansion as a public company. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”