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UK food manufacturer The Compleat Food Group has appointed former Marks & Spencer executive Sue Bell as its first chief technical officer, consolidating responsibility for technical, ESG and safety functions at board level as the business continues to scale under private equity ownership.
Bell, who joins from a consulting background following more than three decades in the food industry, will report to chief executive Nick Field and oversee the group’s technical, environmental, social and governance (ESG), and safety, health and environment operations.
This latest move marks the first time these functions have been brought together within the group’s senior leadership structure.
For food manufacturers supplying major UK retailers, the appointment signals the growing strategic weight of technical governance, sustainability and compliance as businesses expand portfolios and production footprints.
Retail scrutiny around food safety, provenance, environmental impact and ethical standards has intensified, particularly in chilled and own-label categories.
Bell spent 32 years at Marks & Spencer, most recently as head of technology with responsibility across chilled and ambient food categories and packaging delivery.
Over the past five years, she has worked as an independent consultant to food manufacturing and hospitality businesses including FareShare UK, Bernard Matthews and Whitbread, focusing on operational improvement and transformation programmes.
Compleat, which was formed in 2021 and is backed by European private equity firm PAI Partners, has grown rapidly through a mix of branded expansion and own-label supply. The group generates annual revenues of around £1.4 billion and employs more than 6,300 people across 18 UK sites.
Private-equity-backed food groups are increasingly formalising technical and ESG leadership as they seek to manage risk, meet retailer expectations and support future acquisitions. Bringing these functions under a single board-level role can help streamline decision-making and align sustainability goals with operational execution.
Bell’s appointment follows the recent arrival of Nick Reade as UK managing director, further strengthening the senior management team as Compleat continues to expand across branded and own-label categories, including pastry, bakery, deli, plant-based foods and added-value protein products.
Compleat owns brands including Wall’s Pastry, Pork Farms, Wrights, Squeaky Bean and unearthed, and supplies own-label products to major UK retailers and foodservice customers.
