Executive Search
for Food Manufacturing
Leaders.

Executive Search
for Food Manufacturing
Leaders.

Williams Recruitment places Director-level and above talent at food manufacturing businesses across the US and internationally. Every placement is backed by the industry's only 12-month guarantee.
Williams Recruitment places Director-level and above talent at food manufacturing businesses across the US and internationally. Every placement is backed by the industry's only 12-month guarantee.
Book a discovery call
Learn About Williams365
  • IGD logo
  • Cargill logo
  • beechdean dairies logo
  • hilton food group logo
  • ADM logo
  • Logo design featuring the text "Kandam" with a stylized emblem above it, set against a solid background.
  • Whitworth bros logo
  • Carrs flour logo
A smiling man in a black suit stands with arms crossed in a modern office setting.

"You work directly with me, the same person who takes the brief, conducts the search, and presents the shortlist." Scott Williams · Founder

A smiling man in a black suit stands with arms crossed in a modern office setting.

"You work directly with me, the same person who takes the brief, conducts the search, and presents the shortlist." Scott Williams · Founder

A boutique executive search firm.
Built exclusively for food manufacturing.

Williams Recruitment exists for one reason: to help food manufacturing businesses secure the senior leadership they need to grow. Not a generalist agency that dabbles in food. Not an FMCG recruiter covering everything from confectionery to cosmetics. A dedicated search practice that knows this industry from the factory floor up.


As a sole practitioner, every search is led personally by Scott Williams. The person you brief is the person doing the work. That accountability is by design — and it is the foundation of the Williams365 guarantee.


FINANCIAL TIMES TOP 150 UK RECRUITERS 2024

Independent recognition of search quality, ranked among the best specialist recruiters in the UK

Senior leadership search across food manufacturing

Every search is at Director-level or above. Every candidate is headhunted — not sourced from a job board. Every placement is backed by Williams365.
Executive Search

Retained, confidential search for MD, CEO, and C-suite appointments. Discreet outreach to passive candidates your competitors cannot reach.

Operations & Production

Plant Managers, Operations Directors, and Factory GMs who understand the pressures of a live manufacturing environment and can lead through them.

Quality & NPD

Technical Directors, FSQA Leaders, and Heads of Innovation with the credentials and credibility your business demands.

Supply Chain & Purchasing

Supply Chain Directors and Global Procurement Leaders who can stabilise sourcing, reduce exposure, and build resilient supply networks.

Maintenance & Engineering

Chief Engineers and Maintenance Directors who keep your plant running at the standard your customers expect — and your auditors demand.

The Williams365 Plan

Every placement. Every role. Guaranteed for 12 months. If the hire doesn't work out within the first year, we re-run the search at no cost.

A search process
built on accountability

A search process
built on accountability

Retained search. Personal leadership at every stage. No junior researchers, no volume pipeline, no shortcuts.

Retained search. Personal leadership at every stage. No junior researchers, no volume pipeline, no shortcuts.

1

Discovery & Brief

A thorough briefing covering your business, team structure, culture, competitive position, and what measurable success looks like at twelve months. We only accept searches we are fully confident we can deliver.

2

Active Headhunting

No job boards. Direct, personalised outreach to passive candidates across a network built exclusively in food manufacturing. Typically 10–20 targeted approaches per search, reaching talent your internal team cannot access.

3

Assessment & Shortlist

In-depth candidate assessment including structured competency evaluation, cultural alignment, and retention probability scoring. You receive 3–5 rigorously vetted profiles with a frank, direct recommendation.

4

Placement & Williams365

Offer management, onboarding support, and quarterly retention check-ins throughout the first year. If the hire doesn't work out within twelve months, we re-run the search at no additional cost.

2020

Established

10 years

Senior Recruitment

20 years

Food Manufacturing

A search process
built on accountability

Retained search. Personal leadership at every stage. No junior researchers, no volume pipeline, no shortcuts.

1

Discovery & Brief

A thorough briefing covering your business, team structure, culture, competitive position, and what measurable success looks like at twelve months. We only accept searches we are fully confident we can deliver.

2

Active Headhunting

No job boards. Direct, personalised outreach to passive candidates across a network built exclusively in food manufacturing. Typically 10–20 targeted approaches per search, reaching talent your internal team cannot access.

3

Assessment & Shortlist

In-depth candidate assessment including structured competency evaluation, cultural alignment, and retention probability scoring. You receive 3–5 rigorously vetted profiles with a frank, direct recommendation.

4

Placement & Williams365

Offer management, onboarding support, and quarterly retention check-ins throughout the first year. If the hire doesn't work out within twelve months, we re-run the search at no additional cost.

2020

Established

10 years

Senior Recruitment

20 years

Food Manufacturing

A track record that spans
continents and categories

Success You
Can See

A glimpse into our most impactful food manufacturing recruitment projects and success stories.

  • £474m Turnover

    Managing Director

    Whitworth Bros

    Retained search for a new Managing Director due to a planned retirement

  • £95m Turnover

    Global Head of Procurement

    Kendamil

    The search for a Global Head of Procurement for Kendamil

  • £20m Turnover Charity

    Head of Supply Chain Insights

    IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution)

    The search for a Head of Supply Chain Insights for IGD

  • £30m Turnover

    Operations Excellence Manager

    Beechdean Dairies

    New role into the business to drive operational excellence

Williams365. Twelve months, not ninety days.

The standard recruitment guarantee is 90 days. For a senior leadership hire, that is not enough time to know whether the placement is working. Williams365 runs for a full calendar year.
If your placement leaves or underperforms within twelve months, we re-run the search. No renegotiation. No additional fee. No questions asked.
Others Agencies
Generic "FMCG" generalists
Focus on CV quantity (Vanity metrics)
90-day rebate period (Minimal risk-sharing)
Minimal post-placement support
Rely on outdated job board databases
Williams Recruitment White Logo
Deep Food Manufacturing specialists
Focus on Retention Probability & KPI impact
Industry-Leading 12-Month Guarantee
Quarterly retention check-ins for the first year
Proactive Market Mapping of "Off-Market" talent

Williams365. Twelve months, not ninety days.

The standard recruitment guarantee is 90 days. For a senior leadership hire, that is not enough time to know whether the placement is working. Williams365 runs for a full calendar year.
If your placement leaves or underperforms within twelve months, we re-run the search. No renegotiation. No additional fee. No questions asked.
Others Agencies
Generic "FMCG" generalists
Focus on CV quantity (Vanity metrics)
90-day rebate period (Minimal risk-sharing)
Minimal post-placement support
Rely on outdated job board databases
Williams Recruitment White Logo
Deep Food Manufacturing specialists
Focus on Retention Probability & KPI impact
Industry-Leading 12-Month Guarantee
Quarterly retention check-ins for the first year
Proactive Market Mapping of "Off-Market" talent
A man in a suit stands confidently in an office setting with city skyline views in the background.

You work directly
with Scott.
Every time.

Williams Recruitment is a deliberate choice of model. As a sole practitioner, the person who takes your brief is the same person conducting the search, building the candidate relationships, assessing the shortlist, and sitting across the table at offer stage. There is no account management layer between you and the work.

With 20 years in food manufacturing and a decade focused exclusively on senior search, I founded Williams Recruitment around a single conviction: mid-market food businesses deserve a search partner who knows this industry as well as they do.

  • 20 years in food manufacturing

  • 10 years senior recruitment experience

  • Financial Times Top 150 UK Recruiters 2024

  • Retained search specialist — Director level and above


Scott Williams
Founder · Williams Recruitment

Book a call

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2 person in white shirt standing by the table

How to Build a Leadership Pipeline in a Family-Owned Food Manufacturing Business

FAQ

Questions & Answers

Have more questions? Don't hesitate to email us:

scott@williams-recruitment.com
01

Why should I use Williams Recruitment over a larger, generalist "FMCG" agency?

02

You offer a 12-month guarantee. How does that work?

03

What specific roles and levels do you recruit for?

04

Where do you find your candidates? Are they just from job boards?

05

Do you work on a contingency ("no win, no fee") basis?

06

I have a very niche, confidential, or "hard-to-fill" vacancy. Can you help?

07

I'm interested. What is the first step?

FAQ

Questions & Answers

Have more questions? Don't hesitate to email us:

scott@williams-recruitment.com
01

Why should I use Williams Recruitment over a larger, generalist "FMCG" agency?

02

You offer a 12-month guarantee. How does that work?

03

What specific roles and levels do you recruit for?

04

Where do you find your candidates? Are they just from job boards?

05

Do you work on a contingency ("no win, no fee") basis?

06

I have a very niche, confidential, or "hard-to-fill" vacancy. Can you help?

07

I'm interested. What is the first step?

FAQ

Questions & Answers

Have more questions? Don't hesitate to email us:

scott@williams-recruitment.com
01

Why should I use Williams Recruitment over a larger, generalist "FMCG" agency?

02

You offer a 12-month guarantee. How does that work?

03

What specific roles and levels do you recruit for?

04

Where do you find your candidates? Are they just from job boards?

05

Do you work on a contingency ("no win, no fee") basis?

06

I have a very niche, confidential, or "hard-to-fill" vacancy. Can you help?

07

I'm interested. What is the first step?

Solid turquoise background with a uniform texture and no discernible patterns or images.

Ready to build a stronger leadership team?

A 30-minute discovery call is the starting point. No obligation — just a direct conversation about your hiring challenge and whether Williams Recruitment is the right fit.
Get started
Solid turquoise background with a uniform texture and no discernible patterns or images.

Ready to build a stronger leadership team?

A 30-minute discovery call is the starting point. No obligation — just a direct conversation about your hiring challenge and whether Williams Recruitment is the right fit.
Get started
Solid turquoise background with a uniform texture and no discernible patterns or images.

Ready to build a stronger leadership team?

A 30-minute discovery call is the starting point. No obligation — just a direct conversation about your hiring challenge and whether Williams Recruitment is the right fit.
Get started