Opcapita exec made chairman at Dairy Crest
DAIRY Crest, the owner of Cathedral City cheese, yesterday named non-executive director and Opcapita partner Stephen Alexander as its new chairman.
Alexander has worked in the consumer industry for over 30 years and joined Dairy Crest as a non-executive director in 2011.
He replaces Anthony Fry, who is stepping down due to ill health, with immediate effect. Dairy Crest revealed in March that Fry had been taken ill and was in hospital under observation.
Alexander began his career with Imperial Foods, before moving to Allied Domecq, where he was chairman of Lyons Tetley, Dunkin Donuts and Allied’s pub group.
Most recently he spent eight years as operational managing director at Terra Firma, the private equity firm owned by Guy Hands, where he was involved in businesses including Meridien Hotels, Odeon Cinemas and EMI, the music giant.
He is currently chairman of Immediate Media and in 2012 he was made operating partner at Opcapita, the private equity firm which led the buy-out of retailer Game with Elliott Advisers.
Mark Allen, Dairy Crest’s chief executive, said: “Anthony has had a significant influence on the business since his appointment as a non-executive director in 2007, and especially since he became Chairman in 2010. I shall miss working with him.”