International food and drink group Princes has announced three new appointments across its UK manufacturing leadership team.

After leading the Group’s canning operations in Long Sutton and Wisbech over the past 10 years, Rob James has taken up the role of Group Engineering Director. Henry Butters has been appointed as the new Head of Operations for Canning, following four years at the helm of Princes’ drinks operations in Bradford and Glasgow.

Mark Bullock, who joined the Group earlier this year, will continue to lead Princes Group’s Bradford and Glasgow sites as Factory General Manager.

Barry McDonnell, Chief Operations Officer at Princes Group, said: “Rob, Henry and Mark have all made valuable contributions to the Group, proving themselves as strong, talented leaders who will be instrumental in continuing to develop our UK manufacturing operations and readying our workforce for the future. I have no doubt that they will continue to deliver in these new positions, with a laser-focus on maintaining leading standards in operational excellence across the business.”

Rob James is replacing Alan Ellis, who will be retiring in March 2024 after two years at Princes and a long, successful career spanning over 20 years within asset and capital engineering.

McDonnell continued: “Alan has been an incredible asset to the business, having completely transformed Group Engineering over the past two years at Princes. We wish him our very best for a long and happy retirement.”

Today, Princes operates seven manufacturing sites in and around the UK. This includes two food production facilities in Long Sutton (Lincolnshire) and Wisbech (Cambridgeshire); three soft drinks factories in Glasgow, Bradford and Cardiff; and two edible oils processing plants at Erith and Belvedere in south-east London, which are managed by Edible Oils Limited (EOL). EOL is a 50/50 joint venture between Princes Ltd and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).

Princes produces over 3,000 different food and drink products under its owned brands – including the iconic Princes brand, Napolina, the UK’s number one Italian cooking brand, and British soup producer, Crosse & Blackwell – as well as customer own label. The Group also manufactures and distributes branded products under licence, such as Branston Beans, Olivio oil and Swizzles squash.

Princes sources ingredients from over 40 countries, works with over 2,000 direct suppliers and employs 7,000 people around the world.