Hilton Leadership Realignment
Hilton Food Group Appoints Mark Clare Chair as Mark Allen Becomes CEO
Key Points
Hilton Food CEO Mark Allen said of the change: "Mark brings fantastic public company and commercial experience to our board. He has been successful at the most senior executive and non-executive levels in a distinguished career." He added he would value Clare’s “broad and deep experience” while implementing the post-review plan to focus on core capabilities and deliver “sustainable long-term growth.”
The company highlighted Clare’s board-level governance roles beyond Wickes and Drax, including that he is "chair of the Remuneration Committee" at Wickes Group plc (as of the appointment announcement).
Hilton’s appointment brief provided a detailed record of Clare’s prior FTSE/non-executive leadership: he was Chair of Grainger plc from 2017 until February 2026; Chair (designate) of Aggreko plc from October 2020 to August 2021; and Chair of Ricardo plc from 2022 to 2025.
The appointment also specified Clare’s earlier executive background inside Centrica: after British Gas, he served as CFO of Centrica plc from 1997 to 2002—an added depth detail not covered in the summary.
Hilton Food Group has named Mark Clare as its new independent non-executive chair, effective July 1, 2026. On the same date, current executive chair Mark Allen will step down from that role and take over as group chief executive, according to Hilton Food Group Press Office.
Clare is a heavyweight of British boardrooms. He spent nearly a decade as CEO of housebuilder Barratt Developments and served as CFO of Centrica from 1997 to 2002. He currently sits on the boards of Wickes Group plc and Drax Group plc, as TipRanks reported.
Allen Steps Up as CEO After Months as Executive Chair
Allen became executive chair in September 2025 after the previous CEO left abruptly. He held both roles — oversight and day-to-day management — while the board searched for a permanent chair. That arrangement is discouraged under UK corporate governance rules, which prefer a clear split between the two roles.
Hilton's nomination committee ran the search for a new chair from roughly March to May 2026, according to research compiled ahead of the announcement. Clare's appointment ends the temporary arrangement and lets Allen focus fully on running the business.
Clare Brings Nine Years of CEO Experience at Barratt
Clare led Barratt Developments from 2006 to 2015 — nine years that included steering the company through the 2008 financial crisis. Before that, he was CFO at Centrica from 1997 to 2002, overseeing the demerger of British Gas. He also chaired Grainger plc for nine years, stepping down in February 2026.
He also served as chair of Ricardo plc from 2022 to 2025 and as chair-designate of Aggreko plc from October 2020 to August 2021. Allen said Clare brings "fantastic public company and commercial experience" to the board and called his career "distinguished," according to the official company statement.
Hilton Pivots Back to Core Meat Operations After Rough Years
Hilton had pushed hard into seafood and plant-based foods in recent years. That bet soured. Supply chain problems and rising costs in the seafood business triggered a string of profit warnings in 2022 and 2023. The company is now running a strategic review aimed at refocusing on its core meat processing and packaging work.
Hilton supplies major retailers including Tesco and Ahold Delhaize across more than 10 countries. Its annual revenue tops £3.5 billion. Allen said he wants to use Clare's experience to "deliver our post-review plan to focus on core capabilities" and achieve "sustainable long-term growth."
Market Sees Clare Appointment as a Return to FTSE Discipline
Analysts at Shore Capital noted that Clare's time at Barratt — a high-volume, low-margin business — mirrors the pressures Hilton faces in food packaging. Institutional investors had reportedly been pushing since early 2026 for a clear split between the chair and CEO roles, according to research from Bloomberg.
Analysts at Peel Hunt also pointed to Clare's roles at Wickes and British Gas as giving him strong insight into UK consumer behavior — useful as Hilton manages pressure on premium meat sales from the cost-of-living squeeze. The market reaction to the appointment was broadly positive, with investors welcoming a return to standard governance, as MarketScreener reported.
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