RANDERS, Denmark – Chris Thomas was appointed CEO of Tulip's United Kingdom operations effective May 15, the company announced Feb. 26. Tulip is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Danish Crown, one of Europe's largest meat companies.

Thomas joins Tulip from Adelie Foods, where he was CEO since 2009. He is credited with helping establish Adelie as one of the UK's leading food-to-go businesses for retail, coffee shops, travel and catering segments. Before joining Adelie, Thomas held senior management positions with Mars, PepsiCo, St. Ivel and, most recently, as managing director at Bakkavor. He experience in food companies given him a broad wealth of experience across a range of disciplines including R&D, supply chain, commercial and operations.

"We have undertaken a rigorous search in order to find the right individual to lead the Tulip business here in the UK and I know that Chris' experience, customer relationships and value set make him a fantastic fit for our business," said Flemming Enevoldsen, current Tulip CEO and chairman. "I will, of course, ensure an effective induction and handover before I return to Denmark and I am confident that Tulip Ltd will continue to strengthen its position under Chris' leadership."

Enevoldsen will return to Denmark in July where he will continue to work with the Danish Crown Group as chairman of Tulip and CEO of DC Foods, which includes the four processing companies within the Danish Crown Group.