Aryzta appoints new general counsel

Swiss-Irish baked goods company said on Monday that Rhona O’Brien is to join the company as general counsel and company secretary from September 11th. Ms O’Brien will also join the group’s executive committee.

Ms O'Brien has served as a senior legal and regulatory adviser with over 18 years of legal and governance experience. A qualified solicitor practising in Ireland and in-house in England and Wales, Ms O'Brien trained with Arthur Cox before joining Eircom in 2007. Ms O'Brien joins Aryzta from DCCVital Ltd a DCC plc business. Prior to that she worked for Parexel International (IRL) Limited, part of Parexel International Corporation.

Kevin Toland, chief executive, Aryzta, said: "I am delighted to welcome Rhona to Aryzta and to our executive team. Rhona has a great track record of success as a general counsel in addition to leading company secretarial, regulatory, public policy, compliance and equivalence functions. I look forward to working with Rhona who will strengthen and broaden our team's expertise as we focus on our core strengths and returning Aryzta to performance and growth."

In May Aryzta issued a fresh profit warning, sparking fresh concerns about management’s ability to restructure the group and uphold its banking covenants. The Cuisine de France maker said its earnings for the year to the end of July will be up to 12 per cent lower than previously forecast, down by 30 per cent on 2017.