Ton Christiaanse has been appointed the Country Range Group’s (CRG) first external chairman and will begin the role in July, where he will be working closely with managing director Coral Rose and the board on company strategy over the next few years.
Christiaanse previous companies include Unilever, Sara Lee and Brakes and he is also a member of the Institute for Turnaround. Commenting on his new role, he said: “I’m thrilled to be joining an organisation of such high reputation and stature as that of the Country Range Group and I can’t wait to start working alongside the board and executive team on the Group’s strategic direction.
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“It has been a challenging time for the foodservice industry, but the CRG are in a strong position, and I am positive we can build on the success already achieved by the Group.”
This comes after the news that the foodservice buying group had over £1m in orders at its latest Virtual Business Development Day, which took place on 23rd and 24th June.
The event, which is run in a speed networking format with sessions lasting thirty minutes each, was attended by 16 suppliers including Unilever, Modelez, KP and Kerry, as well as over 100 delegates from CRG member wholesalers.
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Country Range Group marketing manager Kate Bancroft said: “The feedback from our members and suppliers regarding our VBDD events has been extremely positive so it was fantastic that our latest event proved such a big hit with a staggering £1m in orders placed.
“With many foodservice suppliers being hit the hardest during the pandemic, it’s vital that events like these continue so they can communicate with our member wholesalers. With more events in the pipeline, there’s still time for other suppliers to take part and benefit so get in touch.”
