Bray has also worked at the pharmaceutical wholesaler AAH, the drugs giant SmithKline Beecham and KP Foods, the snack company. He joins The Wrigley Company following the appointment of Gharry Eccles as managing director.
He will take up his new job at the end of July, taking the title of marketing director for Wrigley UK & Ireland. The job is a return to the world of FMCG for Bray. Before joining AAH in January 2000, he worked for Muller for seven years, during which time Muller became the second biggest food brand in the country, behind Walkers Snack Foods.
According to Bray: "The company has an excellent reputation in new and existing brand development and I look forward to working with Gharry and everyone at Wrigley in further growing and developing the Wrigley brands."
Wrigley owns brands such as Extra and Airwaves. The company retains Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO on its advertising account, with the agency producing one of the year's most controversial ads to date for Xcite chewing gum. The ad was pulled from the air by the Independent Television Commission after hundreds of viewers complained about a scene in which a man regurgitates a dog.
"I am delighted to welcome Ian to Wrigley. With his excellent record of product development and team and brand management, he is ideally qualified to guide the marketing team as we look to weave our brands into the fabric of everyday life," Eccles said.
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