Steven Bartlett, ex-CEO of Social Chain and one of the UK’s most successful young entrepreneurs, is joining the board of directors at Huel, the UK’s seventh fastest growing company. Bartlett’s appointment as a non-executive director comes as Huel reveals it has hit $100M run-rate sales less than six years after being founded and is heading into what will be its biggest year yet.
Bartlett is throwing his weight behind Huel with both financial investment and unparalleled social media expertise at a time when the company’s growth trajectory is rocketting. Thriving even within the pandemic, the business revealed that sales were up 36 percent this January compared to the same time last year; last month the company’s innovative vegan meals sold at an impressive rate of 125 meals per minute worldwide. The cumulative success of the last 12 months has seen the brand increase headcount by 75 percent as a growing number of consumers turned to Huel’s nutritionally complete food to help support their health. Huel’s recently published accounts reported £72M sales – with 43 percent YoY growth – and profit (EBITDA) of £1M.
The position on Huel’s board of directors is Bartlett’s first external appointment since stepping down as CEO of Social Chain in 2020. An unconventional success story, the entrepreneur launched Social Chain from his Manchester bedroom in 2014 after dropping out of university age 20. Bartlett expertly grew the company to become one of the most disruptive and progressive social agencies in the world, with a market valuation exceeding €200m when taken public in 2019. Since leaving, he has continued to grow his chart-topping podcast “Diary of a CEO”, invested in future forward companies in consumer technology, AI, biotech, space and social media and has written his first book, ‘Happy Sexy Millionaire: Unexpected Truths about Fulfilment, Love and Success’.
Huel founder, Julian Hearn, first met Bartlett when appearing as a guest on the entrepreneur’s podcast, where Bartlett has also interviewed business hotshots including Joe Wicks; Gymshark founder Ben Francis; and Michelle Kennedy, founder of the dating app Peanut.
Welcoming Bartlett to the team, Hearn said: “Steven has a phenomenal entrepreneurial style and creative mindset that will add significant value to Huel. He built his first company from scratch and grew it to employ over 500 people, as well as establishing a number one podcast all before his 28th birthday. At Huel we like to do things differently and Steven’s experience of challenging conventional ideas is a perfect fit as we continue to reach new customers globally.”
Bartlett commented: “I’ve been a Huel customer for the last 4 years and I fell in love with the brand, it’s mission and Julian’s vision soon after. Huel isn’t just a category leading company, it’s a rare, great British success story – one with mindboggling potential. I’m bringing almost 10 years of experience in leading one of the world’s most advanced social media companies and working with many of the world’s biggest consumer brands to the board. My objective is to make Huel one of the world’s most innovative, creative and culturally significant consumer brands.”
