Kitwave Group appoints new chair
Kitwave welcomes Dr Marnie Millard OBE to the board as non-executive chair, effective 30 May 2025, replacing outgoing chair Steve Smith
Millard brings more than 20 years of executive and board-level experience in the FMCG industry and is well known for her eight-year tenure as CEO of Nichols Plc, the soft drinks group behind Vimto, where she increased market capitalisation by 60% to £450 million and doubled the Vimto brand’s retail sales value to £110 million. Also under her leadership, Nichols Plc successfully completed five acquisitions.
Earlier in her career, Millard held senior commercial roles at Macaw Ltd and Gerber Juice Ltd, before going on to hold multiple company board positions. She currently holds non-executive chair roles at Marks Electricals Plc, University Academy 92 Limited, and MyPura.Com Limited. Last year, she joined the board of Applied Nutrition Plc, where she is a senior independent director and chair of the Remuneration Committee.
Millard’s contributions to British business and the beverages industry were publicly recognised with an OBE for Services to Business and International Trade in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours. She has also served as president of the British Soft Drinks Association and chair of CBI North West, and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Salford.
Ben Maxted, chief executive officer of Kitwave, commented: “On behalf of everyone at Kitwave, I am delighted to welcome Marnie to the board as our new chair. We believe that her experience and expertise will be of huge value as we continue to drive our growth strategy and enhance our customer offering. We are all looking forward to working with Marnie and, together, delivering further value for the Group and its shareholders.
“We are also hugely thankful to our outgoing chair, Steve Smith, for his unwavering commitment and support. Steve joined in 2016, playing an integral role in our corporate development, which later led to our IPO in 2021 and our subsequent expansion as a public company. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Ben Maxted Dr Marnie Millard Kitwave Group new appointments Nichols Plc Steve Smith
