A NEW boss has taken over at Nestlé's York factory, following the departure of Ciaran Sullivan.

Andrew McIver has moved to Britain from Nestlé's global headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, to take over as managing director for confectionery, Nestlé UK & Ireland.

The company said Mr Sullivan, who was business executive manager for Nestlé Confectionery UK & Ireland, had decided to pursue his career outside Nestlé.

"We would like to thank Ciaran for his contribution to the company and wish him well in his future career," said a spokesman.

Mr Sullivan only arrived at Nestlé in 2012, when he took over from David Rennie, who moved to a new role in Switzerland.

Mr Sullivan had previously been managing director of Lactalis Nestlé Chilled Dairy UK & Ireland since 2009, when the company proved to be one of the strongest performing chilled dairy businesses in the UK.

The spokesman said that prior to his move to the UK, Mr McIver had been business development manager for a cluster of markets in the confectionery strategic business unit (SBU).

"After an early career which included 17 years with Goodman Fielder, Andrew joined Nestlé in Australia in 2006 following the acquisition of Uncle Tobys, where he had been managing director," he said.

"Andrew was subsequently appointed business executive manager confectionery & snacks Oceania in 2007, where he achieved exceptional results.

"Andrew joined the Confectionery SBU in Vevey in 2011, where he played an important role in supporting Nestlé’s Confectionery business in Zone Europe, Japan, Australia, Israel, USA and Canada."

Mr McIver, who is married with three children, said he was really excited about his new role.

"Wherever you are in the world, you appreciate the role York has played over the last 150 years within the confectionery industry," he said.

"It remains home of famous global brands such as KitKat and is one of the world’s largest confectionery factories.