Australian plant-based foods company Fënn Foods has appointed Tony Rowlinson its new CEO. The appointment comes after a successful $3 million capital raise earlier this month, with leading fund manager Bombora Group one of the investors.
Fënn Foods was founded in 2015 by Alejandro Cancino and Paola Moro, who have been CEO and COO since it began. Cancino will become chief innovation chef and Moro will continue to work in the operations side of the business.
Tony Rowlinson has extensive FMCG experience, most recently as CEO and managing director of ASX listed juice and functional beverage company The Food Revolution Group (FOD). He resigned in July 2021 and was replaced by Steven Cali. FOD currently as a market cap of $19.88 million.
Prior to FOD, Rowlinson worked with Coca Cola Company, SCA/Carter Holt Harvey, and Simplot. At Simplot he established the Meals Centre of Excellence for Chilled and Frozen Ready Meals, manufacturing some of Australia’s most iconic brands such as Leggo’s, Edgell, Lean Cuisine, I&J and Birdseye.
Rowlinson said, “The plant-based foods market in Australia is in its infancy and, based on global trends, it will be a billion-dollar market in the very near future. There are tremendous growth opportunities in delivering ongoing innovation and I am excited at the prospect of building on Fënn Foods culinary reputation in establishing the company as a leading player in this market.”
Fënn Foods chair Nicholas Simms said Rowlinson was a dynamic leader with a reputation for creating “strong company cultures and building effective teams”.
“Tony has a proven record in growing profitable businesses through sound direction, the implementation of ‘best in class’ manufacturing processes, marketing excellence and international expansion. We are delighted he has joined the Fënn Foods team, as we continue our journey of rapid growth, driven by increased demand for our plant-based products.
“With extensive experience in the FMCG sector, Tony has contributed to the success of ready meals in the region and his expertise will drive our expansion into new categories in Australia and beyond.
“The board believes Tony’s wealth of experience will be tremendously beneficial to the company and we would like to welcome him aboard”, Simms said.
Rowlinson added, “I look forward to continuing to deliver on the company's promise of producing premium restaurant quality healthy plant-based foods that taste great and are good for you.”
