Alison Lewis said her new board position signals the company's ambition to continue to grow as a major force within the confectionery industry.

She said: "While other sectors have suffered in challenging times, confectionery has held its head up. In hard times, people like traditional and trusted brands. Tangerine has benefited from that."

The privately owned company has grown substantially in the last year and in February acquired Monkhill Confectionery for £58m.

Tangerine has brands including Barratt, Mojo, Taveners Proper Sweets and Princess Marshmallows. It has big sites in York and Pontefr-act, where it makes Pontefract cakes.

Ms Lewis, a former managing partner of the Poulters marketing agency, said the company has gone through a large amount of change and growth.

Turnover has grown from £40m to approaching £150m since 2006.

She said: "Fantastic brands have been bought into the fold. This is the right time to review the integration into the business, how the brands are sitting and how they are developing.

"It has got to the point where the brands warrant that level of marketing direction." Tangerine, which is headquartered in Blackpool, caused controversy earlier in the year when it abandoned the paper packaging of Sherbert Fountains in favour of a more hygienic alternative.

Ms Lewis, 47, who lives near Otley, said: "There is such emotional attachment to brands like Sherbert Fountain. Today's consumer has an expectation of an eating experience that's not as messy. From a perform-ance perspective – the real acid test – it is doing phenomenally well."