Nestlé UK & Ireland has announced several appointments to its senior leadership team: Katya Simmons, Martin Krohn and Lorenzo Vigano.
Katya Simmons has been appointed Managing Director for Coffee at Nestlé UK & Ireland. Her career began in Nestlé Russia in 2002, where she held several Sales and CDT Confectionery assignments, before moving to Marketing in 2010.
She has delivered strong market-share growth and a profitability turnaround before becoming Managing Director for Nestlé Professional Russia and Eurasia in 2015. Under her leadership, the business consistently delivered strong growth and new business wins.
In 2017, Simmons moved to the UK and became the Business Effectiveness Manager at Nestlé Professional UK & Ireland. In 2018, she became Managing Director of Nestlé Professional UK & Ireland, a position she held for more than seven years.
During her time at Nestlé Professional, Simmons worked hard to deliver strong business results, market-share growth, and a transformation of the critical business model under the MORE project, and to build effective customer collaboration and a strong team culture.
During her tenure, the category also reinforced its commitment to sustainability and youth skills, with the Nestlé Professional Toque d’Or competition entering its 38th year and the launch of the Choose Hospitality Pledge.
She has been praised for her leadership style, commitment to building an inclusive culture, and broad omnichannel marketing and commercial experience, which will now be applied to the Coffee sector.
I am thrilled to be leading the Coffee sector in the UK and Ireland. Coffee has an exciting future ahead of it, and I am privileged and proud to be part of the team taking it forward. I can’t wait to see what we will achieve and how we’ll drive growth across our incredible brands.
Martin Krohn, a highly regarded member of the Confectionery Europe team, has been appointed as Head of Technical & Production Nestlé UK & Ireland. He will have direct responsibility for Coffee, Confectionery and Food factories, including Mindful Chef and Simply Cook Operations.
He joined Nestlé in 2005 and has held several positions in Industrial Performance and Manufacturing across Germany, including both Hamburg and Schwerin factories.
In 2013, he became Factory Manager at the Sofia confectionery plant in Bulgaria. Upon returning to Germany in 2017, he served as the Manufacturing Excellence Manager for the German market and led the Performance Improvement team.
Since April 2021, Krohn has led the European Zone’s confectionery manufacturing for the KitKat & Wafer Cluster, delivering strong results. His expertise, strong end-to-end mindset, and inclusive leadership approach, focused on building trust with teams at all levels, led to sustainable improvements in performance across his portfolio.
Krohn is known for driving change and fostering people and team development through a pragmatic and positive style.
It’s a pleasure to move into the role of Head of Technical and Production for Nestlé in the UK and Ireland. Safety and quality are paramount to all that we do at Nestlé, and I will continue to put this at the heart of the market.
Lorenzo Vigano has been appointed Managing Director for Nestlé Professional UK & Ireland.
Vigano brings a wealth of experience in the Out-of-Home world, having joined Nestlé Italy in 2012 to lead the Nestlé Professional Super Premium Beverage division.
In 2013, he was appointed BEO at Nestlé Professional Italy and managed the successful turnaround of the business, reshaping the organisation's portfolio.
In 2015, Vigano was appointed Head of Beverages at Nestlé Professional Europe. In this role, he transformed the Beverage business across Europe and actively worked to build the Coffee Global Business Strategy.
In 2023, Vigano became Managing Director of Nestlé Professional Turkey, rapidly growing the business to become the 10th-largest Nestlé Professional market.
Vigano is known for his engaging, open leadership style, which inspires teams with passion and energy, and is credited with a balance of strategic vision and hands-on execution.
It’s a pleasure and honour to lead Nestlé Professional at such an exciting time. As we enter the new year, I’m energised by the opportunities ahead and committed to supporting our customers across hospitality and foodservice. Together, we’ll continue delivering exceptional products and services, driven by our focus on excellence, sustainability, and innovation.
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