Caobisco re-confirms president Aldo Cristiano ahead of the World Confectionery Conference
Pic: Ferrero
Europe’a Caobisco trade association for chocolate, biscuits and confectionery, has re-confirmed Aldo Cristiano, of Ferrero, as its president for a period of two years, writes Neill Barston.
Representing more than 12,000 businesses across the continent, will be supported by Barbara Blohberger (Mondelez International) and Paolo Casoni (Perfetti Van Melle) as its two vice presidents.
The group’s president, who is set to appear among keynote speakers at our , welcomed the chance to continue in the role, with his tenure being impacted amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which prevented the organisation from meeting physically over the past two years.
Speaking after his re-election at its annual general meeting, held in Ghent, Belgium, Cristiano,,said: “I am honoured that Caobisco Members have given me the trust for another term. It makes me proud to be the representative of such an active association. I will consider my second term in office as a mandate to continue the transformation our association has started two years ago, to meet the expectations of its members and ever increasing societal and environmental changes. But also to continue to build a correct and robust associative structure in order to strengthen our industry’s resilience to face current and future challenges at EU level”.
He is set to return to the World Confectionery Conference this September, having offered a strong contribution in kick-starting the event last year in digital form for our debut showcase last summer.
Caobisco’s event in Ghent this week saw a total of over 25 delegates gather from 15 different countries and companies across Europe to confirm its re-elections, which also included Urs Furrer, Director-General of the Swiss Association Chocosuisse/Biscosuisse, named as the organisation’s new Treasurer.
As the group noted, with the vision of being a trusted and sustainable sector organisation, Caobisco has undergone a major restructuring process over the last two years. In order to provide continuity to the organisation, the so-called “Troika” of Caobisco (President and Vice-Presidents) has been unanimously re-elected under the leadership of its President Aldo Cristiano.
Moreover, the trade association said that it has moved to address the needs of a rapidly changing business environment. This includes a focus on relevant topics such as export competitiveness, sustainable food systems and supply chain, food security and safety, as well as health and nutrition issues facing the industry. In addition, it will also continue to ensure that emerging issues such as security of supply and corporate sustainability due diligence are tackled.
As for its president, Aldo Cristian has been in the global confectionery business for more than 20 years, including leading Ferrero’s raw material procurement globally, and presently heading its sustainability activities in Germany, engaged with sector-wide initiatives and institutions.
At international level, he was a board member of the ICI (International Cocoa Initiative) from 2007-2016. He was also member of the consultative board at the ICCO (International Cocoa Organisation). Additionally, from 2012 to 2018 he served as a member of the Board of Directors at the WCF (World Cocoa Foundation) and from 2015 to 2018, as Chairman of the FCC (Federation of Cocoa Commerce).
For his appearance at our online World Confectionery Conference last year, he underlined the fact that sustainability remains a priority for the confectionery industry. He acknowledged that Caobisco’s combined market segments depended heavily on the agricultural sector, across Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.
Consequently, the trade association president added that working together globally to find ways to make overall improvements to supply chains represented a significant area of focus for his trade organisation.