Paul Kenward

Group CEO, AB Sugar

Paul became Group Chief Executive of AB Sugar in October 2022, having previously been Managing Director of British Sugar since 2016.

In his role as CEO, Paul is responsible for Associated British Foods’s (ABF’s) extensive sugar interests, 12 autonomous businesses which are home to iconic brands and product portfolios beyond sugar, such as renewable power, ethanol, animal feed and much more.

Prior to joining British Sugar, Paul was previously Managing Director of Westmill Foods, an ABF business and has also been Strategy and Business Development Director for AB Sugar and Head of Business Development for ABF.

Paul graduated top of his year in Modern History from Oxford, and joined international strategy consultancy OC&C. He then became Director of Commercial Operations, Europe for EMI Records. In 2003, he founded Addison & Steele Tailoring, a visiting bespoke tailoring service serving customers in London, New York, Brussels and Dublin. He sold the business before joining ABF in 2007.

Charles Noble

Group Finance Director, AB Sugar

Charles joined AB Sugar in December 2020 as Group Finance Director. He has extensive experience in international food businesses including Unilever plc, McCormick Inc and the broader ABF group where he worked earlier in his career. Most recently he was European CFO for a US listed rail-freight and logistics group, Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

Within his role at AB Sugar, Charles is responsible for driving business performance, ensuring strong financial governance in all of our businesses and developing our finance teams around our group. He also leads on IT and the broader leveraging of technologies as well as group procurement activities.

Charles is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, a Member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and has studied at Columbia Business School in New York.

Tony Cheung

Managing Director, AB Sugar China

Tony became Managing Director of AB Sugar China in 2009, and has overall responsibility for all its Chinese operations.

He has an in-depth knowledge of the Chinese agri-food industry, having held senior positions at a number of major multinationals.

Tony is a business graduate of Hong Kong Polytechnic and also holds an MBA from the University of Hong Kong. 

Juan-Luis Rivero

Managing Director, Azucarera

Juan-Luis Rivero became Managing Director of Azucarera in October 2010 after joining the company as Finance Director in 2005.

He has previously held various finance and business performance roles in a number of multinational companies.

Juan-Luis has a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Andy Nicholson

Interim Managing Director, British Sugar

Andy was appointed Interim Managing Director of British Sugar in October 2022, following the departure of Paul Kenward to CEO of AB Sugar. He joined British Sugar in January 2017 as Business Transformation Director, delivering several major projects across the business.

Before joining British Sugar, Andy held several roles across Associated British Foods plc (ABF) including in the Grocery division where he worked for Allied Bakeries and Westmill.

Prior to his career in ABF, he worked for H.J.Heinz, Safeway Plc and Campbells Grocery Products.

Gavin Dalgleish

Managing Director, Illovo Sugar Africa

Gavin first joined Illovo in 1988 as a postgraduate student. He was appointed to the Illovo board in 2011, becoming Operations Director in 2012 and Managing Director in September 2013. 

He has held a number of technical, business development, operational and general management positions within Illovo. Most recently, he spent three years leading the global technology unit of yeast producer AB Mauri, another ABF business, before returning to Illovo in December 2010.

Gavin holds a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering.

Ben Hackett

Managing Director, Vivergo Fuels Ltd

Ben became Managing Director of Vivergo Fuels Ltd in February 2021 after serving as Director of Operations and Technology at AB Sugar since February 2012. In this role, he is responsible for leading what will be the UK’s largest bioethanol business when it starts manufacturing bioethanol and animal feed for UK transport and livestock in early 2022.

He has a wealth of experience gained in a range of manufacturing roles in the agricultural chemicals sector, in locations across France, the UK and the USA, including as Global Business Manufacturing Director at Dow Chemical Company.  

Ben holds a BEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham.

Dr Mark Carr

Strategic Advisor, AB Sugar

Mark was Group Chief Executive of AB Sugar for 18 years before announcing his decision to retire from the company in 2022. He has been succeeded by Paul Kenward, who took over as CEO on 3 October 2022, Mark remains with the company to support Paul until mid-2023. 

During his 18 years as CEO of AB Sugar, Mark oversaw the transformation and diversification from a UK-focused sugar business into the leading, global sugar business it is today.

Mark gained a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wales in 1986 and an MBA from Warwick University in 1997. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.