The Premier Foods and Gores Group-owned brand announced that Gladman will join the company on 1 September to help "jump-start the company’s marketing agenda" and deliver "breakthrough innovation opportunities".
Gladman, a celebrated marketer who has been widely credited with reinvigorating the Smirnoff brand globally, left Diageo this spring after a 14-year stint, as the drinks behemoth restructured its marketing division in a bid to "streamline" operations. He was formerly marketing and innovation director for Africa.
He will head a team of former Diageo marketers at the baker, including Graham Appleyard, former category and shopper marketing director for Western Europe, Bryony Stickells, former Baileys marketing manager for Western Europe, and Sam Matthewson, former senior consumer planner at Diageo.
Hovis said the appointment, while not permanent, would support the brand’s ambition to rapidly expand in the £4bn bakery category. Gladman joins weeks after Hovis announced that marketing chief Matt Hunt would step down to join its digital agency, Futureproof.
A spokeswoman confirmed to Marketing it would still look to appoint a permanent CMO.
Hovis chief executive Bob Spooner said: "We are delighted to announce this collaboration with Philip Gladman and the appointment of a team of outstanding marketing and innovation professionals to boost our marketing and innovation capability.
"One of the key strands of our growth strategy is innovation and this move will enable us to accelerate our new product development pipeline."
In January, Premier Foods split off its bread business, selling a majority stake to The Gores Group and creating Hovis Limited as a joint venture. It also announced a £200m five-year investment programme to reinvigorate the brand, with upweighted marketing spend.
