Britvic appoints Elly Tomlins as chief people officer

Soft drink maker Britvic has appointed former Tate & Lyle HR leader Elly Tomlins as chief people officer.

Tomlins has started work at Britvic’s head office in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, and taken up a position on the firm’s executive committee.

She will be responsible for driving the soft drink brand’s people and culture strategy worldwide.

Britvic has about 4,200 global employees including 1,760 in Great Britain and 408 across Ireland. It sells brands including Robinsons squash, R Whites lemonade and Tango.

Tomlins most recently worked at food and drink ingredients supplier Tate & Lyle, where she was vice president of culture and people strategy and HR director of innovation and commercial development.

Prior to this, she held key HR roles with hospitality giant Whitbread and data-led information firm Thompson Reuters.

Britvic said her “considerable expertise” in developing engaging and progressive talent strategies; delivering innovative employee experiences; and building and scaling culture transformation would “prove invaluable”.

The soft drinks firm said it was seeking to build a “dynamic and highly connected culture of belonging, wellbeing, growth and development”.

Chief executive Simon Litherland said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Elly to the Britvic team. She brings a wealth of experience and an impressive energy to the role and I look forward to working with her as we continue to develop our high-performance culture.” 

Tomlins said: “Britvic is a company I truly admire. I have been so impressed by its focus on healthier people, healthier planet and on creating a workplace that encourages collaboration, learning and development.

“I’m very much looking forward to getting to know my new colleagues and building on the great work already in train.”