Profile: John Power MBE

The night John Power told his boss that he was leaving the military for a career in industry, the army general told him he was ‘mad’.

“Everyone in the army thought I was mad, I knew I wasn’t, and I’ve never looked back,” he says.

Eleven years later, we’re sitting in Power’s modest office on an industrial estate in Leeds at the headquarters of convenience food manufacturer Symington’s.

We’ve met once before, about a year ago, not long after he took over the chief executive role and just before the company posted a £5.6m loss.

But Power has better news today. His turnaround strategy appears to be working and the £115m turnover company made a small pre-tax profit of £1.7m in the year ended August 27, 2017.

He was initially headhunted to the company as chief operating officer in 2016 from his previous role as operations director at Associated British Foods (ABF) company, Weston Milling, a flour maker based in Sydney, Australia.

Power had been tasked with helping to turn around Weston’s performance and was also part of the team that merged the business with a yeast and bakery ingredients manufacturing firm.

But after four years of living on the other side of the world, he wanted to move back to the UK with his wife, Jan, to be nearer friends and family.

A phone call from a headhunter led to the couple setting up home in Yorkshire.

Power’s huge experience in turning around teams in the army and ABF companies, meant he was in demand to lead the streamlining of Symington’s manufacturing and supply chain.

The company had quadrupled its turnover from £48m to £200m in just six years under previous chief executive, David Salkeld, but in 2015 the business hit its first slump in profits in 15 years followed by a loss the year after.

A few months after he arrived, Power took over as chief executive.

Symington’s is the owner of Mug Shot, Naked Noodle, ilumi, Chicken Tonight and Ragu. It also produces foods under long-term licence with Ainsley Harriott, Aunt Bessie’s savoury baking range, Golden Wonder and multiple kids licences such as Peppa Pig.

In his new role, Power wasted no time in shutting down two of its factories, getting rid of 50 head office staff and installing a new senior management team.

The company now operates across five sites. Power has halved the number of products it makes - from 1,400 to 700 across 25 brands - and now invests in building its brands, including Naked Noodle, one of the UK’s fastest growing names.

Power is now concentrating on boosting exports by entering new markets in China, the US and India. “Who’d have thought we could sell noodles to the Chinese?” he says. “But I’m pretty sure we’re going to be this year.”

He is also trying to crack the convenience store market, and plans to grow the company’s online presence.

Born and brought up in Stalybridge, Cheshire, Power began a 27-year army career at the age of 16.

Starting as a junior soldier fixing helicopters in Germany and Northern Ireland, he went on to attend Sandhurst, graduating in the top five per cent, and was commissioned into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1985.

Later, as chief aircraft engineer in Northern Ireland he was responsible for 38 helicopters, five fixed wig aircraft and their associated weapons and surveillance systems.

Power later commanded 5th battalion REME including a deployment to Iraq just after the 2003 invasion.

The following year he deployed the battalion to Canada to undertake the overhaul of thousands of vehicles and weapons in the harsh winter season.

It was during this period that he learned about ‘lean’ techniques, completing the task in three months instead of the usual six. “That’s where I really got into turning around performance and that’s what stood me in such good stead in industry,” he says.

On promotion to colonel, he became deputy chief of staff of 3rd (UK) Division with responsibility for thousands of medics, engineers, logisticians, police, lawyers and supporting staff. He was deployed again to Iraq in 2006.

In 1999 he received an MBE for distinguished service on operations in Northern Ireland.

The transition from military to industry in 2006 came easily, according to Power. “When I think about my last job in the army and my first job at ABF, one of the similarities is leading big teams that are geographically dispersed and multi-functional,” he says.

Power’s first role was operations director at The Silver Spoon Company. “Someone came up to me after about a month and said: ‘You’re nothing like we expected. We thought you’d march up and down the office shouting at us all the time,’” he laughs.

However, there was one area in which he did have to adapt his leadership style. “In the army you get very used to challenging each other at a pace,” he says. “But I quickly found at ABF that people weren’t used to that, so I adapted the way I challenged and tried to give people more time. Things aren’t as pressing in an industry setting as they are in Iraq.”

He went on to become vice president of the global supply chain at Silver Spoon’s sister company AB Enzymes before his move to Australia.

He now lives in Harrogate and enjoys hill walking and travel. “It’s nice now to be doing travel in a different way to my army days,” he says.

“Jan recently suggested camping and I said I’d rather not.

“I’m up for a bit of luxury now. The novelty of living in tents has well and truly worn off.”

Fact File

Title: Chief executive

Date of birth: August 29, 1962

Education: Hyde Grammar School and BEng(Hons) and MSc at the Royal Military College of Science/Cranfield University.

First job: British Army

Favourites holiday destination: Italy

Favourites film: A tough call between Darkest Hour and La La Land

Favourite song: Nothing Compares to You, by Sinead O’Connor

Last book read: A Traitor in the Family, by Nicholas Searle

Car driven: Not really into cars, so just checked the model and it is a BMW Sport Active Tourer

Most proud of: Commanding a battalion and especially on operations in Iraq.