Geoff Eaton

Geoff Eaton

Former Premier Foods COO Geoff Eaton has joined Butcher’s Pet Care as its new chairman.

Eaton, who is also chairman at New England Seafood and a non-executive director at John Menzies, has been appointed to the board to help drive Butcher’s international growth strategy.

Eaton was COO at Premier Foods for five months and left in February 2013 following the early departure of then CEO Michael Clarke, who was replaced by Gavin Darby as the CEO and COO roles were merged to flatten the management structure.

Prior to joining Butcher’s, Eaton was CEO of pan-European convenience food manufacturer Uniq for over six years.

“In order to deliver on our ambitious international growth strategy it is important that we continue to strengthen the board further and appoint people with proven commercial and business skills,” said Butcher’s Pet Care founder Graham Baker.

“I believe this is a positive step forward as Geoff has great industry connections and a wealth of experience in leading transformational change across a variety of businesses. I know he is very much looking forward to working with MD Derek Evans and the board to take us to the next stage of our development, and I am excited to see how these plans unfold. I am very aware of the need to do the best for all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees and pensioners of Butcher’s Pet Care, and I am confident this new governance structure will ensure we continue to work together to do just that.”

Eaton added: “I am very pleased to be joining such a strong company with a great heritage and so much potential for growth, building on a solid foundation. I look forward to working with the executive team and using my experience to help develop and shape the business over the coming years.”