In Conversation: Jeff Swan, CEO

In conversatIon / 37

in the current climate airlines really need agile innovation

One year on from his appointment as Monty’s Bakehouse CEO, Jeff Swan shares his business building plans for the future

Ilove building things, whether they be businesses, teams, customers, brands or, in my spare time, old cars! I think I’m a frustrated engineer at heart. I like to think this has brought an empathy and understanding of the operational side of business into my commercial and leadership roles.

asian insights

I moved to Monty’s Bakehouse from Tayto Snacks, Ireland’s biggest snacking brand, at an exciting time, following the acquisition by SATS in 2020 and founder Matt Crane's move onto the wider SATS insights agenda. This connection is a terrific marriage of skills, allowing Monty's to become more attuned and connected to the needs of the Asian passenger and strengthening SATS' insights and innovation capability. My first priority has been driving Monty’s out of the impacts of Covid19 and opening up new channels and partnerships for the business.

agile innovation

In business I look to develop a blueprint that is unique, valued by our partners and very hard to copy, and I have a unique mix of ingredients to work with at Monty’s Bakehouse. It is already a well-respected brand known for its quality, consistency and customised snacking solutions. Now we are building on the global reach and market-leading sustainability credentials. Now more than ever, airlines need agile innovation and flexible supply chains to respond to the fast-changing industry environment. We have a strength here and are proud to have picked up four new partners in the last eight months.

Unexpectedly, during Covid we built a lot of new relationships with airlines and catering hubs. Our sales and supply chain teams kept in constant contact, helping resolve issues neither of us had experienced before. The feedback has been tremendous and inspires us to continue to focus on relationships and being easy to do business with.

Food security and ‘no touch’ foods have both increased in relevance since the pandemic and I’m most excited about the products that meet new needs. Many of our culinary experts learnt under Michelin-star chefs and they have positioned us as leaders in aviation-ready hot snacks. Now I’m looking forward to bringing these skills and ideas to existing and new partners, and new regions around the world. •