An Aberdeen, Scotland-based artisan smoked salmon producer has won the Food and Drink Entrepreneur of the Year Award at this year’s North East Scotland Food & Drink Awards.
The award was given to Christopher Leigh, CEO of John Ross Jr, in recognition of Leigh’s “significant steps to move the family business forward both locally and internationally,” said the judging panel. The judges also felt that John Ross Jr’s growth plan and partial exit had “shown strong entrepreneurial flair.”
In 2017, Leigh orchestrated and oversaw the sale of shareholdings in John Ross Jr to Estonian-based PRF Foods in order to take the business to the next stage of growth.
He said the award represented the efforts of his team and their commitment to produce the very best smoked salmon.
“We’ve worked hard over the last two years to ensure that John Ross Jr’s foundations are solid and capable of delivering continued growth at home and abroad,” Leigh said. “I’m now looking forward to leading John Ross Jr into new and exciting territories and being part of the business as we enter the next chapter in the company’s history.”
The 2019 North East Scotland Food & Drink Awards included 13 different categories and celebrated prominent food and drink brands.
John Ross Jr has been producing smoked salmon using traditional brick kilns since 1987. The company, which holds the Royal Warrant and has twice won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, supplies hotels and restaurants in the United Kingdom and overseas.
