Finsbury Food Group has announced the appointment of Neil Rockliff as its group product and innovation director. This strategic move underscores the company’s commitment to enhancing its innovation capabilities and aligning closely with customer needs.
The establishment of this new role aligns with Finsbury’s strategy to further invest in product development and enhance its future direction within the food and drink industry innovation sector. By strengthening its innovation pipeline, the company aims to drive decision-making regarding investment based on emerging food manufacturing trends.
Rockliff brings nearly a decade of innovation experience from Samworth Brothers. Previously, he held the position of head of insight and innovation at Greencore, where he advanced through various NPD roles over 17 years. His extensive background in food processing technology positions him well to contribute to Finsbury’s mission.
Finsbury aims for this role to not only reinforce its innovation strategies but also to ensure investment aligns with long-term growth in the market. By doing so, the company seeks to adapt its manufacturing capabilities to meet evolving category demands rather than merely responding to current consumer trends.
“When I met with the leadership team, it was immediately clear there is real ambition within Finsbury, ambition for quality and ambition for growth,” stated Rockliff regarding his new position.
“The diversity of Finsbury’s product and customer mix creates huge opportunities from an innovation perspective. There’s real scope to evolve categories and unlock new areas of growth.”
Reporting to Graeme Clark, the chief commercial officer, Rockliff will collaborate with Ben Kisby, the group category and insight director. Together, they will analyze and leverage data and insights, building informed long-term propositions that resonate with food and drink consumer trends.
“When innovation is grounded in insight, commercially viable and compelling enough for consumers to repeat purchase, you’ve hit the sweet spot,” Rockliff continued.
“Achieving this means investing more time at the front end to answer the ‘so what’ behind every new product. While concept-to-launch timelines are shortening and the pace of change is accelerating, working alongside a team that understands both manufacturing capability and technical parameters allows you to push boundaries and bring exciting products to market.”
Clark emphasized, “A core focus of Neil’s role will be to ensure Finsbury’s innovation approach is both proactive and strategically aligned. By strengthening the connection between insight, category strategy and development, Finsbury’s new product propositions will be grounded in robust consumer understanding while delivering commercial impact.”
