RANDERS, Denmark – Andrew Cracknell was appointed as CEO of Tulip Ltd., a unit of Danish Crown, effective immediately.

Most recently, Cracknell worked as managing director of the Red Meat Division of 2 Sisters Food Group, a privately-owned food manufacturing company based in Birmingham, England. Before that, he was CEO of Noble Foods in Hertfordshire. Cracknell started his career in the food industry with Ardee, Ireland-based ABP Food Group where he spent 25 years in various positions in the company’s Fresh and Frozen divisions. He was appointed commercial director in 2009 and became a board member.

“I am delighted to be joining Tulip Ltd and the Danish Crown family at such a key time,” Cracknell said. “With so much uncertainty in the market both domestically and globally, I believe that Tulip is strategically positioned to grow.

“The high degree of vertical integration, from farm through abattoir and processing to great quality products, will deliver short, secure and sustainable supply chains that are vital in today’s marketplace,” he said. “There is a lot to do and I am confident that by working together with our colleagues, our customers and suppliers we can succeed in building a sustainable future for the business.”

Cracknell was selected for the job based on his experience in the meat industry and the retail sector in the United Kingdom. He is tasked with restoring profitability to Danish Crown’s UK business unit. He takes over from Jais Valeur, who has overseen day-to-day responsibility at Tulip since June concurrently with his current position as Group CEO of Danish Crown.

“We’re in the throes of a major transformation in the UK and our focus has been on finding a leader who possesses in-depth knowledge of production as well as being a commercial heavyweight,” Valeur said. “I’m therefore extremely pleased to welcome Andrew on board.”