Ex-Unilever CEO Schumacher named Barry Callebaut CEO

Barry Callebaut has hired erstwhile Unilever and FrieslandCampina CEO Hein Schumacher arsenic its caller main executive.

Shares successful the B2B cocoa giant, which has been rumoured to beryllium considering hiving disconnected its cocoa division, roseate contiguous (21 January) aft the announcement.

Schumacher was successful complaint astatine Unilever when, successful March 2024, the consumer-goods radical said it would spin-off its ice-cream business.

He near Unilever successful February past year, earlier the separation was completed. The enactment of The Magnum Ice Cream Company, a lawsuit of Barry Callebaut’s, was established past year.

Schumacher succeeds Peter Feld astatine the helm of Barry Callebaut. Feld volition permission adjacent week “to prosecute different vocation opportunities”. He has been main enforcement since 2023.

Barry Callebaut president Patrick De Maeseneire said the institution was nearing the completion of a “transformation programme”, dubbed BC Next Level, to marque the institution “simpler, leaner and much agile”.

“With the upcoming completion of BC Next Level, the committee and Peter decided that present is the close clip for a CEO transition,” De Maeseneire said. “Next to championing our translation programme, BC Next Level, Peter has navigated our institution done the cleanable storm, with unprecedented cocoa legume prices, marketplace turbulence and a challenging geopolitical situation. On behalf of the full board, we convey Peter for his immense enactment and enactment and privation him each the champion for the future.”

De Maeseneire has reportedly denied Barry Callebaut is exploring the thought of separating its cocoa limb from the remainder of the business.

The quality of Schumacher’s assignment came alongside the work of Barry Callebaut’s income figures for the archetypal 4th of its fiscal year.

In the 3 months to 30 November, gross roseate 8.9% to SFr3.67bn ($4.64bn). However, volumes slid astir 10%. Barry Callebaut pointed to Nielsen figures that showed the cocoa confectionery marketplace was “declining”.

In Barry Callebaut’s past afloat fiscal year, a play that ran to the extremity of August, gross jumped 42.4% to SFr14.79bn arsenic the institution sought terms increases to screen precocious cocoa legume commodity costs. However, volumes were down 6.8%.

De Maeseneire said today: “Hein is simply a seasoned and decisive person with a unsocial blend of expertise successful food, B2C/B2B and ingredients, arsenic good arsenic a proven way grounds successful creating important shareholder worth from 2 CEO positions with Unilever and Royal FrieslandCampina. He is the close person astatine this signifier to illustration Barry Callebaut’s adjacent signifier of accrued lawsuit focus, winning civilization and fiscal strength, based connected our fully-integrated cocoa and cocoa concern model.”