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15th May, 2013

IGLO GROUP APPOINTS ELIO LEONI SCETI AS NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Iglo Group, Europe’s leading frozen foods business, today announced the appointment of Elio Leoni Sceti as its new Chief Executive with effect from 23rd May 2013.

Elio Leoni Sceti, [47], has over 20 years of experience in the FMCG and media sectors. He served as CEO of EMI Music until 2010 while the company was under private equity ownership. During his tenure he led EMI’s transformation from a traditional record label into a growing consumer-led music company. He led the drive to build new digital platforms and utilised consumer insights to grow EMI’s sales and treble margins, in a market undergoing long-term structural decline.

Prior to EMI, Elio had an international career in marketing and held senior leadership roles at Procter & Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser. At Reckitt Benckiser he was Executive Vice President - serving as Global Head of Category Development and Innovation from 2001 to 2006 and then Head of Europe between 2006 and 2008.

Elio is currently Chairman of Zeebox Ltd, the leading second screen platform and since 2010 has built a portfolio of early stage social/web technology companies. Elio is an Advisor to the Board of Anheuser-Busch Inbev, the leading global brewer, and he is a Counsellor at One Young World, the global forum of future leaders.

Interim Chief Executive Erhard Schoewel will revert back to his position as non-executive Chairman.

Commenting on the appointment, Erhard Schoewel, Chairman, said:

“I am delighted to welcome Elio to Iglo Group. He has an impressive record of encouraging innovation and accelerating top line growth at world class consumer businesses and brands. Specifically Elio managed and extended an innovation machine at Reckitt Benckiser. From many years of working together at Reckitt Benckiser I know that he has the right credentials for the job. The Iglo Group Board believes that the frozen food category has huge potential for significant growth and to this end has agreed to invest in the business at record levels. We believe Elio’s experience and track record will lead Iglo Group to realise its growth ambitions in existing and new markets.”

New Chief Executive, Elio Leoni Sceti, added:

“I am very pleased to join Iglo Group, a global leader in the food industry with leading brands and iconic products. I have been working with great FMCG Brands for over 20 years and I know how tough the consumer sector can be, but also how exciting and rewarding it is to achieve growth and win market share. Leading brands that command consumer loyalty and thrive on innovation will always outperform and I believe the group’s brands have the perfect profile to do so. I look forward to working with the team to build on the company’s strong position and finding exciting new avenues for growth.”

For further information please contact:

Pelham Bell Pottinger
Clinton Manning +44 207 861 1605, mobile +44 7711 972 662
Tom Cahn +44 207 861 1614, mobile +44 7917 242 078

Notes for editors:

Iglo Group is Europe’s leading frozen foods business, with sales of over €1.5bn and 28% market share. It produces, markets and distributes branded frozen food products, which it sells directly in 11 countries. The Group also distributes its products across many other markets in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Group’s iconic brands of Birds Eye, Iglo and Findus (in Italy only) are household names, synonymous with high quality, great tasting frozen food. The UK, Italy, Germany and Austria are the Group’s largest markets, representing approximately 85% of turnover.

Iglo Group is unique in the frozen food category. Its leadership position, strong brand equity and scale enables continued investment in product innovation, with a focus on modernising frozen food to meet the needs of today’s families. The business has a strong track record of bringing innovative products to the market, such as Bake to Perfection and Rice Fusions which transform the way people cook and eat frozen food.

As a business, Iglo wants to make sure it brings customers food that has been sourced responsibly. ‘Forever Food’ is the Group’s unique sustainable development programme - founded on the values of caring for the environment, treating everyone fairly and working to make sure consumers prefer its food.

5th March, 2013

A message to our customers and consumers regarding horsemeat

As you know, we unfortunately had to withdraw a small number of our overall beef product range from sale on the 22^nd of February. We told you how sorry we were for letting you down and that we would keep you informed of what action we were taking and, once we got to the bottom of the problem, tell you how it happened.

We can now reassure you that our comprehensive DNA testing programme on all our beef meat products is complete. We have now tested all products multiple times through multiple samples over a period of 4 weeks. In total we have tested 250 products across Europe and confirmed three products as containing horsemeat. These are a Chilli con carne 420g product sold in Belgium and Spaghetti Bolognese 340g and Beef Lasagne 400g products sold in the UK and Ireland. All other products across our beef range have now been given the all clear and we have submitted our test results to the relevant national regulatory authorities as requested.

But how did this happen? Our investigation has shown that Frigilunch N.V. (who supplied these products to us) was itself supplied meat with horse in it by an Irish meat processor QK Meats. Frigilunch N.V.’s own independent tests and investigation have confirmed our findings. We have reported these findings to the relevant national regulatory authorities and Frigilunch N.V. has taken immediate action and suspended them as a supplier of meat.

All other meat suppliers to Frigilunch N.V. have been given the all clear through both Iglo Group and Frigilunch N.V.’s separate testing programmes.

You can rest assured that all other suppliers to Iglo Group have also been given the all clear.

We are pleased that we have now completed our investigation and been able to isolate the problem to one source. But what are we going to do going forward to avoid something like this happening again?

We have now introduced a new on-going ‘triple lock’ DNA testing programme that will ensure no minced beef meat product can reach supermarket shelves without first having been cleared by three stages of DNA testing. We are now demanding, and have agreed with all suppliers, that they DNA test all products entering their premises. They will then DNA test products leaving their premises. Iglo Group will then conduct its own DNA tests before products go to shops. We believe this triple lock DNA testing process is the leading way to do this in our industry.

This means that next time you see any of our minced beef meat products on shelf/in the freezer they will have been through this triple lock testing process so you can be sure you are eating what is labelled on the pack.

We feel the same as our customers do – this should never have happened, but now that it has, it is up to us to make sure we do all we can to avoid it happening again. Aside from our triple lock DNA testing process we will be looking at what other changes we can make to our supply chain. We know that our customers expect us to maintain the highest standards and we will continue to look for new ways to do so. We will keep you informed as we progress this.

11th January, 2013

Iglo Group to begin search for new CEO

Martin Glenn, CEO of Iglo Group, has today announced his intention to step down as CEO.

Having led the turnaround of the business since the Permira backed buyout in 2006 and returning it to growth, Martin has decided that having achieved these objectives in the time frame originally set now is a logical time to hand over the leadership for the next phase of the businesses growth. He will remain an investor in the business and stay on to facilitate a smooth transition of leadership.

Under his leadership, Iglo has been reshaped into Europe’s largest frozen food business; it is the market leader in frozen food, 2.5 times the size of its nearest rival with a strong track record of innovation and a demonstrated ability of consolidating the frozen sector through the successful acquisition and integration of Findus Italy.

The search for Mr Glenn’s successor is underway and an appointment will be announced in due course.

Martin Glenn, CEO, commented:

“I am very proud of what we have achieved with the Iglo Group and of the significant turnaround of the business since 2006. Having achieved the objectives we set ourselves in the time frame planned and recently completing our refinancing and strategic plan, now is the logical time to begin the search for a new CEO who can take on the next business cycle.
This is a great business and the broader Iglo Team is without doubt the strongest team in frozen food. We have the support of Permira, our customers and suppliers and I know that the business will continue to thrive in the demanding market in which it operates.”

For further information please contact:

Maria Darby-Walker
Corporate Affairs and PR Director
Iglo Group
Tel: +44 208 918 3326
Email: maria.darby-walker@iglo.com

Gavin Davies
Director
Pelham Bell Pottinger
Tel: +44 207 861 3159
Email: GDavis@pelhambellpottinger.co.uk

7th November, 2012

Iglo Group crowned Food Manufacturing Company of the Year

Birds Eye brand owner Iglo Foods Group has scooped top honours in the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEA) - the Oscars of the food and drink manufacturing industry.

Birds Eye owner, Iglo Foods Group were named the Food Manufacturing Company of the Year, and Best Frozen Food Manufacturer at the 2012 awards which took place on Monday 5th November at the Park Lane Hilton, London. The company wowed the judges by its all-round approach to excellence. By aligning solid business strategies to sustainable values, it has shown itself to be a shining example of how a company should operate. Iglo is clear that it has to live its values to ensure its future success. The judges said: “Iglo has not been afraid to grasp some really thorny issues and made significant inroads into them.”

The Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards, now in their 12th year, provide a benchmark for all those wishing to aspire to world class standards in food excellence.

The awards are dedicated to recognising and rewarding the very best food and drink manufacturing companies. They honour and highlight those companies that have displayed progress and achievements through their manufacturing process in this competitive and fast moving industry.

These awards differ from other industry awards in that they recognise the manufacturing achievements rather than end products. The awards highlight success in all areas of the manufacturing process including new product development, category management, quality assurance, supply chain improvement, environmental management, process innovation and human resource development.

Martin Glenn - CEO of Iglo Group commented: "2012 has been the first time the Iglo Group have entered the competition and I am delighted to announce that we were awarded with both the ‘Best Frozen Foods Manufacturing Company of the year’ and the highly coveted title of ‘Food Manufacturing Company of the Year’. These prestigious awards recognise the enormous energy and excellent progress made in manufacturing over recent years"