First Milk appoints Mahoney as chair

First Milk, the farmer owned British dairy co-operative, has appointed Hugo Mahoney as chairman designate. He will take over from Chris Thomas in November. Mahoney brings extensive food and drinks industry and technology sector experience to the role, having most recently served as group CEO of UK food manufacturer Samworth Brothers, First Milk says.

He joins the First Milk board when the co-operative is well positioned to grow and create further value from its extensive milk supply chain, dairy product manufacturing capability and ingredients expertise. First Milk is making solid progress in addressing the challenges of climate change, through the positive impact of its regenerative farming plans across its 700 members.

His appointment has been approved by the co-operative’s board of directors and member council and is subject to ratification by members at First Milk’s AGM on 3 November 2025.

Commenting on the appointment, First Milk vice chairman and farmer director, Mike Smith, says, “We are delighted to have appointed Hugo to lead the board and work alongside our CEO, Shelagh Hancock. His understanding of the opportunities for UK food and farming businesses at home and abroad, together with the challenges that the UK farming and food sectors are facing into is first class. When you back this up with his broader experience of leading in different sectors, business models and cultures it makes him a great fit for the future development of our co-operative.

“On behalf of our members and the board of directors I would like to thank Chris Thomas, for his commitment and service. During Chris’s chairmanship, we have grown value for our members and customers, expanded our capabilities through the acquisition of BV Dairy and become a leader in regenerative farming. Now is the time to build on these solid foundations and we are looking forward to the experience and energy that Hugo will bring to help First Milk and its members achieve this.”

Prior to Samworth Brothers, Mahoney was chief commercial officer and then CEO of Brakes UK, the Foodservice distributor. His early career was in FMCG and brands, followed by senior commercial and business development roles within technology biased businesses including Sage and LexisNexis