Vibrant Foods appoints new chief executive, board chair

Leading South Asian food group Vibrant Foods have announced the appointment of a new chief executive, Damian Guha, and new non-executive chair, Nish Kankiwala.

Executive chairman Rohit Samani will step back from his current role and assume the position of special adviser to the board. Incumbent chief executive Umesh Parmar will oversee operations, supply chain and procurement as managing director.

Samani, who held the position of executive chairman since November 2019, led the acquisition of six popular Asian foods brands, including TRS, East End Foods, Cofresh, Fudco and Everest Dairies, to form Vibrant Foods.

Under his leadership Vibrant Foods recorded a 58 per cent revenue growth from its inception in 2019 to 2021.

“It has been a privilege to serve as the chair of Vibrant Foods and to have led a team that achieved so much. With Damian and Nish at the helm we have two seasoned leaders who I have every faith will build on this momentum. I wish them all the best for the future,” Samani said.

Nish Kankiwala

Guha brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise, having served recently as managing director of Upfield’s UK & Ireland team, the world’s leading plant-based food company and maker of household brands such as Flora, Elmlea and Violife.

Prior to this, Guha held several senior positions within Mars and at Marks and Spencer, both in the UK and across Europe.

Kankiwala currently serves as a non-executive director of John Lewis & Partners and, until recently, as chief executive and chair of Hovis.

Guha commented: “To become CEO of a company with such distinctive brands and rich heritage is truly exciting. I would like to express my gratitude to Rohit for his outstanding work as chair, and I look forward to working together to deliver on Vibrant Foods’ next phase of growth.