Oddlygood Group has appointed experienced FMCG leader Ruth Tolchard as UK Head of Grocery and Online. Building on significant growth, the move supports accelerated expansion across UK grocery and the plant-based category in particular.
Ms Tolchard brings more than 20 years of experience across leading FMCG brands including L’Oréal, Birds Eye, KP Snacks and JDE Peet’s, where she has delivered multimillion-pound turnarounds, built high-performing teams and driven sustained commercial growth.
In her new role, she will lead grocery and online strategy in the UK, building on the momentum of Oddlygood Group’s challenger brands, Rude Health and Oddlygood. Ms Tolchard is recognised for combining strategic commercial leadership with a strong focus on people development, sustainability and DEI.
“Ruth’s appointment marks an important step forward in our UK growth journey and comes at a pivotal time for the category,” said UK Country Manager Sam Maguire. “Her experience across top FMCG brands and strong commercial leadership will be instrumental as we build momentum and accelerate our next phase of growth.”
Ms Tolchard will play a key role in delivering Oddlygood Group’s high-growth agenda, with a focus on increasing household penetration, scaling visibility and accelerating performance in the competitive £361m plant-based drinks market.
The appointment comes at a significant moment for the category. Oddlygood Group’s Plant-Based Glass Ceiling Report found that 53% of lapsed plant-based drinks consumers would consider returning, while 62% remain positive about the category, highlighting a major opportunity to re-engage shoppers. With its complementary Oddlygood and Rude Health brands, the group is well positioned to bring consumers back into the segment.
“Rude Health’s strong UK momentum and Oddlygood’s impressive growth across the Nordics reflect the quality and ambition behind both brands,” Ms Tolchard said. “It’s an exciting time, especially in the wake of our recent launch of Oddlygood’s Barista range. We now have real opportunity to deepen our connection with consumers and accelerate our growth across the UK.”
The appointment follows continued momentum for Rude Health, which is outperforming the category with value growth of 21% year on year, reflecting strong consumer demand for products with great taste and simple, kitchen cupboard ingredients. The brand was acquired by Oddlygood in October 2024 as part of the group’s ambition to accelerate growth across both brands and become Europe’s leading plant-based challenger.
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