Bakkavor CFO Peter Gates to retire

(Sharecast News) - Bakkavor said on Wednesday that chief financial officer Peter Gates plans to retire at the end of the year after 10 years at the food manufacturing company.
Gates, who will step down from the role of CFO and the board on 26 December, joined Bakkavor as interim group treasurer and was appointed CFO in November 2010.

He will be succeeded by Ben Waldron, who is currently the president of Bakkavor USA. Waldron joined the company as group financial controller in 2011 and then became head of strategic development, supporting the IPO in 2017 and leading the acquisition of Haydens Bakery and the disposal of non-core business in the UK and Europe.

In January 2019, he took on responsibility for the US business and "has successfully transformed the US operations", Bakkavor said.

"This international experience, combined with his deep understanding of the opportunities for growth markets, and his immersion in finance at Ernst and Young LLP, position Ben well for the role," it added.

Waldron will return to the UK as Bakkavor CFO and an executive director 27 December. He will be replaced as head of the US business by Pete Laport, who has held management, operational and commercial roles at PepsiCo and Nestle and led the global supply chain for Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins ice cream and for fresh prepared salad producer Ready Pac.

Most recently, he was global chief supply chain and manufacturing officer at Revlon.