Claire Tanner departs HelloFresh to take on purr-fect Chief Financial Officer role at KatKin

Claire Tanner has joined KatKin, a fresh cat food company founded in 2020, as Chief Financial Officer.

With experience across industries including direct-to-consumer subscription, manufacturing and grocery retail, she joins from HelloFresh, where as Vice President of Finance she was a key part of the management team to drive UK strategy and profitability.

She has also held senior roles at Ocado, where she managed significant business change during the creation of Ocado Retail, and Burton’ s Biscuits, where she was responsible for £300 million revenue and £18 million investment.

At KatKin, she will continue building out the finance function and serve as a lynchpin between crucial segments of the business.

A cat parent to Pebbles and Poppy, Tanner says: “I have always aspired to be a CFO – but not just any CFO, and not for just any company. A CFO is more than just about the numbers. It's about being a confidante, a challenger, a doer, an inspirer, a visionary and a guardian. All qualities I hope to bring and work on for the future.”

She adds: “At KatKin I'm working with inspiring, passionate people with a genuine desire to change our cats’ health and drive the new fresh category for cats – and Pebbles and Poppy love it. I couldn't have wished for a better company to join the journey as CFO. And the icing on the cake is that I get to see all the cats on the screens in meetings."

Ed Westcott, Co-CEO at KatKin, says: “Claire's skills and experience will be instrumental in the next stage of our growth, and we look forward to working with her closely to help lead our team into our next era. We’re a cat first team committed to changing the pet food industry. And with Claire’ s addition to the leadership team, we’re one step closer to changing the way cats in the UK eat forever.”

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

DTC brands were a key focus area at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended last month’s gathering.