REG - Kitwave Group PLC - Appointment of Non-Executive Chair

KitwaveAnnouncement

02/06/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 8737K  Kitwave Group PLC  02 June 2025

02 June 2025

Kitwave Group plc

 

("Kitwave", the "Group" or the "Company")

 

Appointment of Non-Executive Chair

 

Kitwave Group plc (AIM: KITW), the delivered wholesale business, is pleased to
announce the appointment of Dr Marnie Millard OBE to the Board as
Non-Executive Chair, effective from 30 May 2025. Marnie has replaced Steve
Smith as Chair, who resigned as a director of the Company upon the
appointment.

 

Marnie currently serves as the Non-Executive Chair of Marks Electricals Plc,
University Academy 92 Limited and MyPura.Com Limited. She also joined the
board of Applied Nutrition plc ahead of its IPO last year and continues her
role as a Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee.
She has acted as a board advisor for Belvoir Group and was on the board for
Finsbury Food Group Plc as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the
Remuneration Committee.

 

Marnie was Chief Executive Officer of Nichols Plc, the diversified soft drinks
group, for eight years. During her time as CEO, she delivered a strong track
record of consistent growth, increasing the market capitalisation by 60% to
£450 million. Under her leadership, Nichols Plc completed five acquisitions
and doubled Vimto's retail sales value to £110m. Before her role at Nichols
Plc, Marnie held a series of other senior positions in the beverages industry,
including Sales and Marketing Director at Macaw Limited, Commercial Director
for Gerber Juice Company Limited and Managing Director for Refresco Beverages
UK Limited.

 

Marnie's contributions to the UK beverages industry have been widely
recognised. She previously held prominent industry leadership roles as
President of the British Soft Drinks Association and CBI Northwest Regional
Chair. In 2018, she was awarded an OBE for Services to Business in the
Northwest and International Trade in the Queen's Birthday Honours. She also
holds an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Salford
University.

 

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."

 

Dr Marnie-Jane Millard OBE, aged 60, holds or has held the following
directorships/partnerships in the past five years:

 

 Current Directorships/Partnerships       Former Directorships/Partnerships (past five years)
 Applied Nutrition PLC                    Finsbury Food Group PLC
 Marks Electrical Group PLC               Kidly Limited
 British Soft Drinks Industry Foundation  Nichols PLC
 MyPura.Com Group Limited                 The British Soft Drinks Association Limited
 University Academy 92 Limited
 UA92 Old Trafford Limited
 Marnie Millard Limited

 

Marnie was a director of Luscious Food & Drink Company Limited from May
2006 to July 2007. Luscious Food & Drink Company Limited went into
administration in December 2007 and was subject to a creditors' voluntary
liquidation in 2009.

 

Marnie's former surnames were Tabbitt (maiden name) and Mumby (former married
name).

 

Save as set out above, there is no further information to be disclosed in
relation to Dr Millard's appointment pursuant to AIM Rule 17 or paragraph (g)
of Schedule Two of the AIM Rules for Companies.

 

- Ends-

 

For further information, please contact:

 Kitwave Group plc                                                Tel: +44 (0) 191 259 2277

 Ben Maxted, Chief Executive Officer

 David Brind, Chief Financial Officer

 www.kitwave.co.uk (http://www.kitwave.co.uk/)
 Canaccord Genuity Limited                                        Tel: +44 (0) 20 7523 8150

(Nominated Adviser and Sole Broker)

 Bobbie Hilliam

 Elizabeth Halley-Stott
 Yellow Jersey PR                                                 Tel: +44 (0) 20 3004 9512

(Financial media and PR)

 Charles Goodwin

 Shivantha Thambirajah

 Bessie Elliot

 kitwave@yellowjerseypr.com (mailto:kitwave@yellowjerseypr.com)

Company Overview

Founded in 1987, following the acquisition of a single-site confectionery
wholesale business based in North Shields, United Kingdom, Kitwave is a
delivered wholesale business, specialising in selling and delivering impulse
products, frozen, chilled and fresh foods, alcohol, groceries and tobacco to
approximately 46,000, mainly independent, customers.

 

With a network of 37 depots, Kitwave is able to support delivery throughout
the UK to a diverse customer base, which includes independent convenience
retailers, leisure outlets, vending machine operators, foodservice providers
and other wholesalers, as well as leading national retailers.

 

The Group's growth to date has been achieved both organically and through a
strategy of acquiring smaller, predominantly family-owned, complementary
businesses in the fragmented UK grocery and foodservice wholesale market.

 

Kitwave Group plc (AIM: KITW) was admitted to trading on AIM of the London
Stock Exchange on 24 May 2021.

 

For further information, please visit: www.kitwave.co.uk
(http://www.kitwave.co.uk) .

 

 

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