For Alex Whitehouse, joining Premier Foods seemed to be written in the stars. Back in 2014, while still working at Reckitt Benckiser, Whitehouse became nostalgic while driving past a Premier Foods factory and seeing large logos for the group’s portfolio of brands. Once cherished household staples, the lustre had long since worn off the likes of Bisto, Mr Kipling, Ambrosia and Oxo following years of under-investment. Whitehouse saw the potential for the stale offering to one day be refreshed and decided to invest in some shares in the undervalued group’s stock. Unbeknownst to Whitehouse at the time, the person who would end up being trusted with kicking off a long-awaited turnaround at the struggling ambient foods supplier would be him.