Nestle’s UK chief executive officer receives damehood

Nestle has announced that its UK and Ireland chairman and chief executive officer Fiona Kendrick has been awarded a damehood for services to the food and drink industry.

The first female head of Nestle UK, Dame Fiona was also recognised for her commitment to supporting skills development over the course of her long career, which began in the teaching sector.

As well as heading Nestle UK, she is a UK Commissioner for Employment and Skills, leading the work to establish the first UK Master of Engineering qualification in food engineering, and has championed the growth of apprenticeships across the industry.

She also supports Speakers for Schools and leads Nestle's charitable partnership with Action for Children. Recently, she was elected president of the Food and Drink Federation, giving her an even more prominent industry role.

Dame Fiona said: "I am particularly pleased because it recognises the importance of UK food manufacturing … I want to encourage our industry to provide employment and training opportunities for young people."

The company employs around 8,000 members of staff across 23 sites in the UK and Ireland. It exports more than 346 million pounds' worth of products every year to more than 70 other nations.