Ornua’s chief operations officer Anthony Proctor is returning to Aryzta after almost eight years at the owner of Kerrygold butter.

New chief executive Kevin Toland is trying to make bread rise again at the embattled baker and return confidence to shareholders as the share price continues to slide.

Proctor, who has delivered on Ornua’s expansion strategy, brings plenty of experience of the North American market after spending 12 years with IAWS. He was seen as a potential candidate for the big job at Ornua, soon to be vacated by Kevin Lane, with a replacement expected to be announced next month. Many believe his successor could come from the strong senior management team he built.

Internal candidates include group finance director, Donal Buggy, formerly of Independent News and Media, and John Jordan, who turned around Ornua’s US distribution business, DPI. Until recently Jordan was also the de-facto CEO of Ornua Foods UK/Adams Foods after Ian Toal left the business.

The timing and appointment of a new managing director to the UK business is in itself interesting and may be a catalyst for Lane’s grand succession plan. Of course, Toland may be interested in the big Ornua job himself.