Foodmach chief customer officer Earle Roberts has been appointed CEO as of 1 July, after delivering a string of recent successes for the company.
Roberts, former CEO of Fibre King, has served as CCO since March 2017, managing marketing and service as well as sales. He brings more than 25 years of experience to his new role, and says he is excited about Foodmach’s prospects and the opportunities for staff.
“Truly great businesses value their employees as much as their customers. We’re equally focused on our team members’ job satisfaction and skill development as we are on the development of smart factories and increased profitability for customers. My philosophy is that you can’t have one without the other,” he said.
Roberts has boosted Foodmach’s fortunes since taking up the role of CCO, including a recent hat trick at the APPMA Awards of Excellence in March, where the company collected awards for Best New Product, Customer Collaboration, and Best Imported Product.
“The industry needs to be brave to embrace innovation. There is a risk, but the commercial advantage is worth it,” he said as he accepted the Best New Product award.
Peter Marks, director, spoke highly of Roberts’ leadership expertise and said he would be a valuable asset in the role of CEO.
“During his tenure as CCO, Earle conducted a strategic review of the business, successfully relaunched the Foodmach brand, revitalised the company’s customer-focused service model and extended our product range.
“Earle has the qualifications, commitment and leadership credentials we’re looking for. Foodmach has a very clear vision for its future and we’re establishing an exceptional leadership team to get us there,” said Marks.
Phillip Biggs, fellow director, added that Roberts is a “strong, dynamic and values-driven leader” with a good track record, who performs well even during tough economic times.
“His deep understanding of people, packaging lines, innovation development and the industry and the markets in which we operate will continue to be invaluable,” said Biggs.
Foodmach’s executive directors are set to retain their existing leadership roles.
