Senior Leadership Team

Mark has significant public company, consumer goods and food sector experience and is currently Chair of AG Barr plc. He was previously CEO at Dairy Crest Group from 2007 to 2019 and has held non-executive director roles at Halo Foods, Warburtons, Dairy UK, Howden Joinery Group and Norcros, where he was Chair. Mark was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year's Honours list for services to the UK's dairy sector and became Non-Executive Chair of the Hilton Foods Board on the 1 January 2025, and Executive Chair from the 25 November 2025.

Matt joined Hilton Foods in 2018 and from 2018 to 2022 served as Hilton Foods Group Financial Controller. He was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in May 2022. Matt has a degree in chemistry and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2003 having trained with Grant Thornton. He joined Greene King in 2007 reaching the position of Group Financial Controller before joining Hilton Foods in 2018 as Group Financial Controller.

Melanie joined Hilton Foods 28 November 2022 as CEO for the APAC region, before becoming COO - East in January 2026. She bought with her over 25 years of progressive experience across several primary industries and has an impressive leadership background that spans the whole value chain from operations through to sales and marketing with a proven track record for driving sustainable growth. She has worked for leading businesses including Mulgowie Farming Company, Kono NZ, part of Wakatu Group, and One Harvest. Melanie is a member of the Australian Institute for Company Directors.

Samy Zekhout joined the Board in June 2025 as an independent non-executive director. In January 2026, he resigned from the Plc Board to assume the position as Chief Operating Officer, West. Samy has extensive international experience in international consumer goods and food sectors. Most recently, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Nomad Foods, the European frozen food leader, listed on the NYSE. Prior to that, he spent nearly 30 years at Procter & Gamble, including Senior executive leadership roles in core global categories in Finance and General Management, with assignments across Europe and North America.
Samy has been for the past ten years a strategic and financial advisor/investor in several start-ups and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of a Food Tech company based in France and Chairman of the Advisory Board of two companies based in Switzerland and the UK, respectively in Revenue Growth Management and Technology and Menswear Innovation.

Lizzie joined Hilton Foods in December 2024 as currently serves as the Chief People and Transformation Officer, bringing over 20 years of strategic and operational Human Resources expertise. A purpose-driven leader, she has a proven track record in global retail and manufacturing, having held key roles at Pendragon PLC and Jaguar Land Rover. Specialising in organisational development, Lizzie excels in driving strategic change and transformation, with a particular focus on fostering organisational culture and enhancing employee experience. Her commitment to building high-performing, people-centred workplaces aligns with Hilton Foods’ vision for sustainable growth and innovation. A Human Resource Management Honors graduate, Lizzie is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), underscoring her dedication to professional excellence and continuous development in the HR field.

Matt joined Hilton Foods in May 2020. He is an experienced Executive Board Member with a proven track record of delivery in the food industry. He has built a multi-functional capability with the ability to deliver “turn arounds” either in the Private Equity or larger corporate organisations. A proud leader with a desire to inspire he specialises in Strategy, Negotiation, Team Development, Sales & Marketing.
Previous companies include ABF – British Sugar & Allied Bakeries, Premier Foods, Campbell’s, Arla Foods and Coca-Cola.

Pat has been with Hilton Foods since 2003, and has held senior Operating Company and Group roles in the areas of IT and Logistics. He has played a leading role in Hilton Foods international expansion, particularly in developing strategic logistics solutions through warehouse automation, IT and robotics, and is also responsible for overseeing cybersecurity within the company. Pat is a Software Engineering Honours Graduate, with diplomas also in Mechanical, Electrical and Microelectronic engineering.

Peter joined Hilton Foods in February 2010 and jointly leads our enterprise sector. Peter’s role initially focused on Group Engineering and Projects, later taking responsibility for standardisation of plant operations. Prior to joining, Peter had several years experience in international food companies, primarily red meat and value add manufacturing.

Peter qualified with an honours degree in Agricultural and Food Engineering (BE hons) from University College Dublin in 1995, and is also a member of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland (MIEI).

Robin joined Hilton Foods on 1 September 2025. He is a solicitor who has spent most of his career in commerce and industry, working across the retail, manufacturing and distribution sectors. His career has focused on UK-listed companies, some with significant international footprints with which he has lived and worked in continental Europe. In addition to legal and compliance, Robin has held accountability for areas including security, property, insurance, corporate and commercial transactions, joint ventures, and acquisitions. He brings nearly 20 years’ experience in tobacco and dairy processing with Gallaher Group plc and Dairy Crest Group plc, and for the past 18 years has served as a Group General Counsel & Company Secretary, most recently at Travis Perkins plc.

Wim joined Hilton Foods on the 2 January 2006. He brought with him over 30 years of general and production management experience within various production companies within food and pharmaceuticals with a wide variety of company cultures.

He has worked for Merck Sharp & Dohme, Delifrance, Vion and Nutreco.

Wim has a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a trained facilitator for the “Principle Centered Leadership” courses of Stephen R. Covey.

Lorna joined Hilton Foods in September 2017. She has extensive experience in the food industry, working in both retail and food manufacturing. Previously, she spent 15 years at Tesco in senior quality roles. Lorna has worked across many food product areas and has worked closely with the Food Standards Agency and the Global Food Safety Initiative. She was previously the Chair of the Campden BRI Scientific & Technical Committee, a co-opted member of the Campden BRI board and held roles on the International Advisory Board for BRC Global Standards and the British Retail Consortium Food Strategy Group.