New appointments at Visionary Group

Caerphilly based food and drink specialists Visionary Group, have announced a number of new appointments, as they prepare for a year of growth.

The new appointments will bolster the staff within the Visionary Food Solutions division, as well as the wider group. The new recruits include Stephen Thomas who joins as Finance Director, Mike Johns as Business Development Manager, and Maria Reed who takes up the post of Food Service Executive.

The business had planned to make the new appointments early in 2020 but as the pandemic took hold, were forced to divert their focus into supporting their existing clients, in order to help support their future.  While the effects of COVID-19 caused a downturn in business in the early stages, the stabilising of the customer base and a renewed confidence going into the second half of the year, allowed the growth plans to be put back on course.

Gareth Hobbs, Managing Director of Visionary said: “There is no hiding from the fact that this year has been tough for everyone, and continues to be so.  We have always been a business to invest ahead of the curve, and the one benefit the pandemic has brought businesses looking to recruit, is that there is an extensive talent pool.  We have been fortunate to recruit some really high calibre people to our team, and are delighted to welcome Stephen, Mike and Maria to Visionary.”

Speaking of his appointment, Mike Johns commented: “It was refreshing to see the drive and ambition of the Directors during a very difficult time for all businesses.  They took the decision to develop and grow rather than give up.”

Maria Reed was similarly delighted at joining the business, she added: “I feel incredibly lucky to be working with a forward-thinking company like Visionary Food Solutions, especially during Covid-19. Even with the uncertainty of the market, VFS continues to pioneer their way through the foodservice industry, and I have truly felt that the founders of VFS care about their employees.”

Following the appointments, Visionary have big plans for 2021 which includes supporting their client businesses to launch products into US based retailers, as well as developing non-food products as an additional service line.   The company also plan to put time aside to stay close to their communities and supporting those in need, a valuable lesson learned during the pandemic.

Mr. Hobbs concluded: “This year has had its ups and downs, and while we are pleased to get our growth plans back on track for 2021, I am also confident we will use the experiences of this year to stay true to ourselves, to innovate and make time for others. The pandemic made us think differently, and we were able to produce the charity recipe book for the NHS called The Little Rainbow Book of Recipes.  I would like to see that become the sort of initiative we can repeat in 2021 and beyond”.