Barry Callebaut appoints CEO

The Board of Directors of Barry Callebaut has appointed Antoine de Saint-Affrique as CEO from 1 October 2015. Saint-Affrique will take over from Juergen Steinemann who was elected vice chairman of the board in December 2014.
Saint-Affrique is currently president, Unilever Foods and a member of Unilever’s Group Executive Committee.

Andreas Jacobs, chairman of the board of Barry Callebaut, says: “With Antoine de Saint- Affrique, the board has appointed a new CEO with an impressive track record in the food industry. Antoine’s excellent knowledge of consumer markets, his strong customer and stakeholder focus, his extensive international working experience, and his remarkable success in building and integrating new businesses as well as rebalancing portfolios towards faster growing geographies and segments made him the right candidate for CEO after the completion of a thorough evaluation process. The board is excited to have Antoine de Saint-Affrique join our company. We are convinced his entrepreneurial spirit, strategic skills and great motivational talent will lead Barry Callebaut to the next level of growth.”

Saint-Affrique says: “I am honoured to be given the opportunity to lead and further shape the world’s leading chocolate and cocoa company as its CEO. Barry Callebaut offers a unique environment since it combines three qualities which rarely come together: a global leader, which is publicly listed, but also a family company with longer-term purpose, vision and a strong entrepreneurial spirit.”