En Route International, the creative travel food and services solutions company, has announced the appointment of Nick Wiley as Global Managing Director.

Nick brings more than 25-years’ experience to En Route, leading organisations across food retail, food manufacturing, hospitality and transport & logistics, working with companies that include Marks & Spencer, GrandMet, Exel and Geest. Most recently, Nick led the UK & Ireland operations of a global manufacturing and distribution business.

Founded in 2002, En Route provides premium fresh, frozen and ambient food products to airlines and other customers, working with its customers to develop brands that customers love. En Route works with many of the world’s largest airlines, with logistics hubs and offices in Australia, USA, UK, Europe, Middle East and China.

Nick said: “En Route is an incredibly exciting and creative business, developing and delivering engaging products to the world, in the air and on the ground.

“COVID-19 has accelerated already rapid development and change in our industry, with more airlines exploring creative ways to lift passenger choice and experience, while driving ancillary revenue.

“With the experienced team at En Route, I’m excited to invest in further innovation and open new business segments, developing more products consumers love and fostering a high-performance culture across our global network.

“I have always relied on building strong and effective relationships with customers and listening to and understanding their needs. I intend to do the same here, listening intently and delivering on our promises.”

Robin Padgett, Divisional Senior Vice President, Catering & Retail at parent company dnata said: “En Route is at the forefront of creative development and global supply for the travel sector.

“While the sector has been significantly impacted by the events of the past twelve months, the resulting opportunity for En Route is huge, as airlines look to provide modern complimentary and retail menus on-board.

“It’s great to have someone of Nick’s calibre on board.”

En Route expanded its non-aviation business during 2020, trialling products with a leading British retailer and progressing towards its launch of direct-to-consumer sales. En Route has invested heavily in the development of alternative packaging as it works with airlines to reduce and remove plastic, non-recyclable and non-biodegradable packaging from the supply chain.

Nick starts with En Route immediately and will be based at its head office in Windsor, UK.