Windsor Food Machinery Announces New Managing Director

Windsor Food Machinery Announces New Managing Director

After building one of the UK’s most influential suppliers of food processing machinery for over 30 years, Directors Tim and Karen Stuart are delighted to be welcoming one of the industry’s most well-known and respected figures, George Holliday, to guide Windsor Food Machinery into a new era as Managing Director.

From processing and packaging, to raw and air dried petfood machinery, Windsor Food Machinery has been supplying retail, hospitality and industrial food manufacturers across the UK since 1994. With strong and exclusive partnerships with international brands such as Dutch vacuum-packaging giant, Henkelman, Australian manufacturer, Thompson, and Reich owned by Fortifi, the company has quietly built an industry reputation for quality service, expert knowledge and an extensive range of range of stocked parts over the past three decades.

Now, Windsor Food Machinery has appointed a new Managing Director, George Holliday, who brings the same length of experience in the food sector.  Growing up in Kent, George did his school work experience at Brake Brothers Foodservice, and was subsequently offered his first job at the age of 17 in the company’s credit control department.

“I was ambitious, loved meeting people, even over the phone, and was achieving everything asked of me, so I set my eyes on the sales department,” George recalls.  “A new ‘take away’ category was created, I was offered the chance to sell ‘Pukka Pies’ to fish and chip shops and butchers across the country, and I went for it.”

George’s natural rapport with customers was bringing in major sales and he was made one of Brakes’ Key Account Managers. In 2004, he was headhunted by meat wholesaler DB Foods in Dorset in order to build its sales team. By 2012, the company’s turnover had risen from £15 million to £60 million and George was made Director.

“I have always loved two things – people and problem-solving,” he says. ‘Even as a kid, I was addicted to football management games, and you don’t realise the knowledge and experience you collect as you go through your working life, until people turn to you for an answer and, sometimes to your own surprise, you have it!”

After 22 years at DB Foods, George was starting to feel ready for a new challenge, just as Tim Stuart, founder of Windsor Food Machinery, was making plans for the next chapter for his business.

“George and I knew each other from being Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Butchers,’ explains Tim, who like George, has a professional background in meat wholesaling. “We were ready to invest in expanding our parts support, engineering capability and customer experience, and wanted someone with fresh expertise to lead our ambitions.”

In February, George joined Windsor Food Machinery’s team of over 20 full-time staff as Managing Director, and has already identified and managed efficiency improvements in logistics, operations and sales.

“It has been really exciting to welcome George, see the business through his eyes and hear his ideas for its immediate and long-term future growth,’ says fellow Director, Karen Stuart. “He knows the industry from so many different angles and has immediately understood the potential of Windsor Food Machinery.”

“It feels fantastic to bring everything I have learned to a new setting of close-knit people who not only provide a fantastic service, but really care about their customers and performance,” says George. “Our plan is for Windsor Food Machinery to go beyond being a supplier of machinery and maintenance, and provide a productive, valuable relationship that is a constant source of support, knowledge and expertise to food businesses.”