William Jackson Food Group (WJFG) has snapped up former Hovis CEO Jon Jenkins, appointing him as managing director of its Jacksons Bakery business.
Jenkins will join Jacksons on 14 September 2026, in his first role since his three-year stint as Hovis CEO. Former AG Barr and Boost Drinks director Adrian Hipkiss has been appointed interim managing director of Jacksons Bakery in the meantime, stepping up from his role as interim marketing director in late March.
WJFG said it had found “one of the food sector’s most accomplished transformational leaders” in Jenkins, who before Hovis led a dramatic turnaround of Müller UK&I, reversing losses of £60m in 2019 to a profit of £18m in 2021.
Jenkins left Hovis in September 2025, after it was announced its private equity owner Endless LLP had reached an agreement to sell the brand to Kingsmill owner Associated British Foods.
Group CEO Paul Murphy – himself a former ABF veteran – said: “Jon’s track record speaks for itself. His ability to lead large-scale transformation while strengthening brand and customer partnerships makes him the perfect choice to lead Jacksons Bakery into its next chapter.”
WJFG reported a “challenging” set of company results earlier this year, which showed underlying profits had fallen 39.4% in the year to 26 April 2025.
Despite “good growth” in the group’s retail, DTC, export and wholesale offerings, overall sales at William Jackson fell 1.5% to £332.1m in the past financial year, as a slump in foodservice sales and a refurbishment at Jacksons cut revenues.
The company’s bakery segment, however, claimed strong growth in the year to 6 September 2025, according to NIQ data, with till sales defying a tough plant bread market to grow 10.3% to £21.9m.
WJFG said Jenkins’ appointment would support the bakery’s continued growth.
“Jacksons Bakery has a rich heritage and I’m excited to work with the team to drive growth, innovation and operational excellence,” said Jenkins.
“The UK bakery market is evolving rapidly and there is a huge opportunity to delight consumers with outstanding product quality and innovation while strengthening customer partnerships.’
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