Finlays, part of Swire Group and a leading global supplier of tea, coffee, and botanical solutions, has appointed James Woodrow as its new Group Managing Director.
According to Finlays, Woodrow brings a wealth of experience to the role and joins from Swire Shipping where he was Managing Director for the last seven years. He has been with Swire since 1990 and has held executive roles at various Swire businesses including Cargo Director at the airline Cathay Pacific.
Woodrow joined Finlays in September and will be based at its headquarters in London, United Kingdom.
“Finlays has an illustrious heritage stretching back nearly 300 years and is a trusted and admired industry leader. Today, it is ideally placed to serve the evolving needs of the global beverage market by helping customers address critical long-term consumer trends, whether that’s health and wellbeing, premiumisation or sustainability,” says Woodrow.
Over recent years, Finlays has increased its focus on extracts via organic growth, acquisition, and innovation. It is one of the world’s largest producers of cold brew coffee and will soon open a new United Kingdom cold brew coffee production facility to serve Europe.
Through its integrated supply chains, Finlays strives to operate with sustainability, creating value for stakeholders at every stage from bush to cup. This is something Woodrow believes is of paramount importance to the future of Finlays.
“Sustainability, whether environmental, social, or economic, is a defining characteristic of our era. Global consumers have never been more switched on to the provenance of their food and drink and this represents a big opportunity for the beverage industry, even in markets where this trend is just emerging,” Woodrow says.
“The scope and scale of Finlays means it can offer true traceability and assurance that its products have been ethically sourced. But most importantly, it gives us the precious ability to have a positive, long-term impact on the communities we serve around the world, and the environments in which we operate. Our core value of ‘sustainable’ has never been more important.”
For more information, visit www.finlays.net
