London, England, United Kingdom, September 2025 – pladis Global, one of the world’s fastest-growing snacking companies, has announced the appointment of Sophie Hemmingway as Vice President Human Resources UKI. With over two decades of HR leadership experience spanning the FMCG and tech-enabled services sectors, Sophie steps into this pivotal role to lead people strategy, talent development, and cultural transformation across pladis’ UK and Ireland operations.
Prior to joining pladis, Sophie Hemmingway served for over a decade at Britvic Soft Drinks, most recently as Human Resources Director – UK, Learning, Early Careers & Employee Relations. She was instrumental in aligning HR with business performance, leading award-winning people initiatives that improved engagement, transformed learning, and enabled career mobility through initiatives such as “squiggly careers.” She also played a critical role in acquisition integration and digital learning innovation.
Before that, she held roles of increasing responsibility within Britvic, including Director of HR – Supply Chain, where she collaborated with production site leaders to drive diversity, automation, and workforce transformation, and Director of HR Transformation, where she led the implementation of SuccessFactors and drove major process enhancements.
Earlier in her career, Sophie spent over eight years at NGA Human Resources, including roles such as Global Talent Acquisition Leader and Global HR Leader, where she led large international teams, managed hiring across 35 countries, and strengthened EVP and retention. Her previous experience also includes HR leadership roles across UK, Ireland, and India as well as earlier HR advisory roles at Northgate Information Solutions and Pitney Bowes.
She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from Middlesex University and is recognized for her deep expertise in strategic HR leadership, employee relations, digital HR, and building high-performing teams that deliver business impact.
About pladis Global
pladis Global is a global snacking powerhouse behind iconic brands such as McVitie’s, GODIVA, and Ülker, along with regional favorites like Jacob’s, Go Ahead, Flipz, Verkade, and BN. Formed in 2016, pladis combines over 300 years of family baking and confectionery heritage, with a workforce of over 16,000 people operating across 27 factories in 11 countries.
pladis’ purpose is to bring happiness with every bite, delivering top-quality products with speed, innovation, and a deep understanding of evolving consumer needs. With a potential reach of more than four billion people globally, the company is committed to being a responsible and agile business focused on excellence, collaboration, and sustainable growth.
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