Senior NPD & R&D Manager

A highly experienced NPD and R&D leader with over 20 years in the food manufacturing sector, specialising in confectionery, chocolate, snacks, bakery, dairy, and ambient products. He combines deep technical expertise in ingredient science, material functionality, and process optimisation with proven leadership in innovation, renovation, and large-scale programme delivery. Fully relocatable across the UK, he brings a track record of delivering measurable commercial impact (£55M+ in value), leading multi-disciplinary teams, and managing complex, cross-functional and international projects.

Key Highlights

• Extensive Blue-Chip Experience: Formerly held senior roles at Nestlé and PepsiCo, leading innovation and technical platforms across multiple categories.
• Revenue & Project Impact: Delivered over £55M in value through sustainability, NPD initiatives, and process optimisation.
• Awards & Recognition: Recipient of the Nestlé Business Impact Award (2013) and Nestlé R&D Spirit Award (2014).
• Global Leadership: Co-founded and led the Global Ingredients Experts Network at Nestlé; managed teams of 15–30 across multiple sites and countries.
• Innovation & Reformulation: Successfully drove 5% global sugar reduction across categories while ensuring full regulatory compliance; launched numerous new products from concept to market.
• Research & Funding: Secured £3M+ in government funding for collaborative research programmes; main inventor on 9 patents and published 9 peer-reviewed scientific papers.
• Education & Expertise: PhD in Food Science and MSc in Food Production Management, with strong grounding in Lean, Six Sigma, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing excellence.