UK – Nestlé has appointed Mark Davies as managing director for Nestlé Confectionery in the UK and Ireland, succeeding Richard Watson, who was named chief executive of Nestlé UK & Ireland in January of this year.

In his new role, Mark will be responsible for leading the confectionery business as it looks to consolidate its recent growth, increasing market share while driving value for consumers, customers, and suppliers.

Davies has more than 30 years of FMCG experience, heading up large businesses and leading major acquisitions and the integration and transformation of joint ventures. He has worked in various European countries, as well as the Middle East and the Greater China region.

Davies joined the Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation in 1991 and has been an achiever in his roles.

In his most recent position as Vice President of Nestec Ltd in Switzerland, Nestlé said Davies was responsible for the strategic direction of Nestlé’s global confectionery business, with his remit encompassing capital investment, acquisitions, and research and development.

He was part of the team who designed, built, and led the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, the company’s initiative, to create shared value in the cocoa supply chain, from farmers to consumers.

“To be taking the reins at Nestlé UK & Ireland’s confectionery business, where I started as a graduate three decades ago, is something truly special,” said Davies.

“Many of Nestlé’s biggest and best-loved confectionery brands were created right here in the UK, including KitKat, Aero, Quality Street, and After Eight. My focus will be on prioritizing our sustainability commitments while ensuring that we continue to innovate, keeping our brands fresh and relevant and providing great value for the millions of people who enjoy our products every day.”

Watson had spent the past six years heading up Nestlé UK & Ireland’s Confectionery division, where he has built a team that has driven growth, increased market share, and pioneered several significant innovations in the category.

Meanwhile, Nestlé Confectionery has introduced six new variations of some of the nation’s favorite confectionery, including Golden Honeycomb Aero and Munchies made with Caramac.

The company has reimagined some of its best-loved brands – Aero, Milkybar, Munchies, and Smarties – and given them a golden twist.

Leading the glittering lineup is Aero, with two new products – Aero Golden Honeycomb Melts sharing bag (RRP £1.75) and Aero Golden Honeycomb Block (RRP £1.25).

Both bag and block feature golden bubbles with a delicious honeycomb flavor for a bubbly yet indulgent treat to share, Nestlé explained.

The Munchies Gold Sharing Bag (RRP £1.75) sees the brand’s traditional center of soft caramel and crispy biscuit shelled with ever-popular Caramac, creating a flavor combination.

The classic creamy milk chocolate has been given a caramel flavor twist to create a new Milkybar Gold Buttons sharing bag (RRP £1.75) and Milkybar Gold block (RRP £1.25).

Amy Bennett-Inge, Brand Manager said: “We’re beyond excited to introduce our Nestlé Confectionery Golden Collection! We’ve taken some of the flavors we know fans love best–caramel and honeycomb – and applied our chocolate-making wizardry to create new taste sensations.

“The Golden Collection features deliciously flavored products from four of our top sellers – Aero, Munchies, Smarties, and Milkybar. We can’t wait for people to try them!”

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