Industry veteran Patrick Fleming has been appointed chairman of Divine Chocolate.

Fleming spent 18 years at Cadbury Schweppes in senior finance and general management executive positions. He was also actively involved in the launch of Pomegreat juice and is chairman of Freshly Cut, the maker of Peppersmith chewing gum. He has sat on Divine's board of directors for five years and succeeds Sandy Balfour, one of the founders of Divine.

"Patrick has been a great asset, so I am pleased he has accepted this appointment as Divine enters a new phase of growth in the UK and international markets," said Sophi Tranchell, MD of Divine Chocolate. "He is extremely motivated by our unique farmer-owned model and will contribute enormously, both in terms of finance and advice, but also in championing a more equitable way of doing business."