Weetabix Food Company has recruited a new head of legal with the hire of Helen Wilson from digital commissioning company Adam HTT.

Wilson (pictured) will lead the food company's legal team both in the UK and overseas, while supporting the wider senior leadership team on a number of areas including property, commercial contracts and data protection.

She succeeds former GC Chris Thomas, who joined Odeon Cinema Group earlier this year as group legal and compliance director. Thomas was in the role for nearly three and a half years.

Wilson commented: "Weetabix is a brand I have always wanted to work with so I'm very pleased to join the team. While Weetabix is a market leader, it also remains very much a family-focused brand and the producer of much-loved everyday products. My own children love Weetabix – and I enjoy a bowl of Alpen, so I'll certainly be making the most of the breakfast in the office.

"I consider myself an enabler rather than a naysayer; I'm solutions-driven and have the commercial focus to deliver meaningful change and progress for the benefit of my team and the Weetabix brands."

Wilson spent just over a year at Adam HTT, where she held the title of legal director. Before that, she worked for UK nightclub business Deltic Group as head of legal and company secretary for a year and a half.

She has also worked in private practice, spending more than six years at Shoosmiths in Birmingham.

Weetabix, originally founded in the UK, was acquired by US cereal company Post Holdings last year. It produces a some of the most well-known cereal brands, including Weetabix, Alpen, and Ready Brek. Linklaters, Baker McKenzie, Ropes & Gray and Mills & Reeve acted on the $1.8bn (£1.4bn) sale.

The acquisition, which completed in July, saw Linklaters advise the sellers, Chinese food giant Bright Food and an investment fund owned by Baring Private Equity Asia. The firm had previously advised Bright Food on its 2012 acquisition of a 60% stake in Weetabix from Lion Capital for £1.2bn.