First Milk chief steps down

FIRST MILK’S John Duncan announced today (July 27) that he is stepping down as chief executive of the 3500-member dairy co-op.

Mr Duncan’s reign of the 2.2bn-litre business, which was created from the merger of Axis and Scottish Milk in 2001, will come to an end at the company’s AGM on Nov 14.

He will be replaced by deputy chief executive officer Peter Humphreys, who was appointed in January.

The move, combined with Mr Humphreys’ wide-ranging pervious experience in the food industry and other recent appointments, heightens the anticipation that First Milk is close to unveiling a new business plan.

This was hinted at by Mr Duncan. “The direction and focus of First Milk is set to change significantly over the coming 12 months.”

He added: “Real opportunities to develop and strengthen the business within the marketplace are now in place, and through our size and scale we are well positioned to convert those opportunities on our members’ behalf.”