Pet food brand appoints ex-Wagamama boss to its board
Pure Pet Food, the Yorkshire-based pet nutrition brand, has announced the appointment of former Wagamama CEO Emma Woods as a non-executive director, as the business grows in the UK and Europe.
A spokesman said Ms Woods has more than 30 years of experience building consumer brands, after holding senior leadership and board-level roles across the sector.
The spokesman added: “She was previously CEO of Wagamama, where she steered the business through its acquisition by The Restaurant Group, a US joint venture and a pivot to delivery during lockdown. Earlier in her career she held senior marketing roles at Merlin Entertainments, PizzaExpress and Unilever.
“She served as a non-executive director at Huel, working closely with senior leaders to help the B Corp nutrition brand build its leadership team and manufacturing capability as it scaled internationally. Ms Woods currently chairs wellness brand Ancient + Brave, is a non-executive director of Great Portland Estates plc and Saga plc and is a trustee of Breast Cancer Now.”
Ms Woods said: “It’s exciting to be joining the team. I’ve followed Pure Pet Food’s progress for a while and have admired both the growth of the business and the team behind it. The pet sector is going through the same shift we’ve seen in human food, with owners treating their pets as family and paying closer attention to what goes in the bowl.
"As a dog owner, I understand how important excellent nutrition is, and as a proud Yorkshirewoman, with my dog Rosie already a convert, I’m looking forward to supporting the team and business.’’
Roz Cuschieri, Chief Executive Officer of Pure Pet Food, added: “We’re thrilled that Emma is joining us. Her experience of scaling direct-to-consumer brands, both in the UK and internationally, is hugely relevant as we continue to build out Pure Pet Food and introduce the brand to even more dogs and their owners. We are a people-centred business, and we’re all looking forward to working with Emma.”