Board

Ben Maxted ACA

Chief Executive Officer

Ben joined the Group in 2011 as Finance Director of the Automatic Retailing business, a role which he held for three years before his appointment as Managing Director of Eden Farm (following its acquisition by the Group in 2014). Since then, Ben has led the growth of the Frozen and Chilled division, successfully integrating four acquisitions into the Group. Ben is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales having trained at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he spent three years in its Corporate Finance division. He obtained a degree in Business Accounting and Finance at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Ben was appointed to the Kitwave Board as Chief Operating Officer in November 2021 and Chief Executive Officer in March 2024.

David Brind FCA

Chief Financial Officer

David joined as Group Finance Director in 2011, following NVM Private Equity LLP’s investment. He had a close relationship with the Group over a number of years up to the time of joining through his role at Barclays. Prior to his position with Barclays, David worked at Ward Hadaway as a Corporate Finance Director and, before this, Ernst & Young as Assistant Director in Corporate Finance. David moved to Ernst and Young shortly after qualifying as a chartered accountant and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He obtained a degree in Business Studies at the University of Hull.

Stephen (“Steve”) Smith

Independent Non-Executive Chairman

Steve joined the Group as a Non-Executive Chairman following the investment by Pricoa Capital Group in 2016. He retired as CEO of Northgate plc in 2010, after a career of over 20 years. Steve now serves as a Non-Executive Director on two other Boards: Ramsdens Holdings Plc and Procomm Site Services Limited (Chairman). He is a chartered accountant and holds a degree in Economics from the London School of Economics. Steve is chairman of the Nomination Committee and a member of the Remuneration and Audit Committee.

Gerard Murray

Independent Non-Executive Director

Gerard is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Nixon Hire and director of Newrona Limited. Prior to this, he has been either Group Finance Director or Chief Financial Officer of a number of companies including Reg Vardy plc, Northgate plc, Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings plc, Benfield Motor Group and Quantum Pharma plc. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, having qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen, and holds a degree in Economics from the University of Leicester. Gerard is the Chairman of the Audit Committee, Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Nomination Committee.

Teresa Octavio

Independent Non-Executive Director

Teresa joined the Kitwave Board in February 2023. Teresa has held a number of executive roles at global businesses, including at Kantar Consulting and consumer-facing multinationals Diageo plc and Procter & Gamble. She has also acted as a board advisor at omnichannel company DAME and as an independent advisor for a number of board and C-suite individuals. Teresa holds a Sloan Masters MSc in Leadership & Strategy from London Business School, Digital Business Transformation certification from Imperial College, and The Financial Times Non-Executive Director Diploma accreditation. Teresa is a member of the Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee and Nomination Committee.