Barry Callebaut makes senior management appointments as new CEO takes the helm

The Barry Callebaut group has made two new senior management appointments including   as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and as member of the Executive Committee, reports Neill Barston.

Presently serving as vice president operations and supply chain EMEA, she succeeds Isabelle Esser, who has decided to pursue her career outside the business.

A Dutch national, Vis-Mertens, 49 (main image), joined Barry Callebaut in 2012 as Global Corporate Account Manager Operations & Supply Chain, assuming the role of Global Corporate Account Director in 2014, successfully growing the company’s global partnerships.

In 2017, she was appointed Vice President Human Resources EMEA. In this role she focused on talent development and retention by creating a more collaborative culture and a well structured onboarding of new employees. Since 2019 Masha Vis-Mertens has been Vice President Operations & Supply Chain EMEA.

Before joining the Swiss-headquartered chocolate maker, she worked at Cargill in a variety of supply chain roles. Masha Vis-Mertens holds a Bachelor degree in French and Russian and a Master degree in European Studies from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as well as an Executive Master degree from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

Joining her on the executive committee is Massimo Selmo, newly named as the company’s Chief Procurement Officer, who is currently Head of Global Sourcing. Notably, he will become the group’s first ever Chief Procurement Officer to serve on the management board.

Selmo (below) has been with the business for 25 years, of which close to 23 years as Head of Global Sourcing. He has contributed strongly to the Group’s strategic growth pillar of cost leadership.

Furthermore, in support of Forever Chocolate, the company’s plan to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025, he championed sustainable sourcing, resulting in 61% of the Group’s non-cocoa ingredients being sustainably sourced in fiscal year 2019/20. He had joined the company in 1996, having previously worked at KPMG as Senior Auditor. Massimo Selmo holds a Bachelor degree in Business  Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.

Welcoming the two new appointees, Barry Callebaut’s newly appointed CEO Peter Boone said: “I want to thank Isabelle for her invaluable contributions to Barry Callebaut’s growth over the past years. Isabelle transformed the HR function into a business partnering powerhouse, successfully building our talent development program and introducing our #OneBC commitment to build a more diverse and inclusive workplace, all of which will continue to serve the Group in the years to come.

“I warmly welcome Masha and Massimo to the Executive Committee of Barry Callebaut. Their longstanding and highly successful track record at Barry Callebaut, in combination with their diverse experience, will ensure a smooth transition, as well as continuity in the implementation of our growth strategy combined with fresh insights into its execution.”

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