Bella & Duke is a premium pet food brand, passionate about providing delicious pet nutrition directly to customers. Their commitment to the highest quality ingredients and dedication to pets has earned them an exceptional reputation amongst pet owners. The business and their investors recently partnered with Drayton to secure a CEO to drive the business forward through the next phase of growth.
The Context
Bella & Duke are a purpose-led business with a unique culture. They are well-progressed towards being an omni-channel business, but the foundations were all around subscription. Bella & Duke make it their mission to manufacture the best food possible for the millions of pets across the UK. Their high-quality ingredients are sourced from the BRC accredited factories in the human supply chain without unnecessary additives.
Founded in 2016 by two friends passionate about improving pet nutrition through healthy food options, Bella & Duke had grown exponentially. As well as the finest raw dog and cat food, Bella & Duke’s product offering also includes mouth-watering treats, supportive supplements and other healthy, helpful care-related items.
In 2021, leading private equity houses, BGF and Gresham House invested in the business, providing a step-change capital injection that helped facilitate the establishment of their own high-class manufacturing footprint and a further strengthening of the business' wider infrastructure and team.
Bella & Duke had thrived under the leadership of their two founders, Mark Scott and Tony Ottley. Mark had led the business for seven years as CEO and co-founder Tony Ottley as COO. Mark had decided to step aside as CEO and migrate to NED. Indeed, the business also benefited from an incredibly strong existing leadership group.
Search Overview
Drayton swiftly sought to build a deep understanding of the Bella & Duke business but also the wider market dynamic – helped by our extensive work in the Pet category with the likes of Butternut Box, Forthglade and MPM.
Drayton's Process
Drayton’s specialism in identifying exceptional talent through industry-leading, international networks was essential to this and every search. Drayton developed an excellent relationship with the Bella & Duke board, including BGF and Gresham House, over the course of this CEO search process.
For more about James, check out his LinkedIn profile.
An Exciting Future
Under James' leadership, Bella & Duke’s phenomenal reputation has only strengthened, recognised by All About Dog Food (AADF) as not only the highest rated raw dog food in the UK, but also as the highest rated dog food in the UK across the board. Other notable changes enacted under James include the launch of a new brand platform, changing the recipes to include more vitamins and even launching a pet-calming Spotify playlist, strengthening Bella & Duke as a brand which is truly dedicated to pets and owners.