Grupo Bimbo CEO Daniel Servitje Montull to step down and take on new role
pic: Group Bimbo
Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo has confirmed that its longstanding CEO Daniel Servitje Montull is set to step down from the post, after steering its continued growth, reports Neill Barston.
He is to take on a new post of executive chair, while being succeeded in his former role by Rafael Pamias, who takes up the position this week.
As the business revealed, these senior management changes will enable the company an opportunity to enhance its corporate governance and strategic supervision, while strengthening its structure to better face the complexity of the growth and expansion achieved over the past years.
According to the company, the executive chair (left of pic, with Rafael Pamias, right) will focus on strategic decision making, ensuring the alignment of the true long-term view, as well as the interests of the shareholders and Board of Directors. The CEO will report directly to the Executive Chair and will be responsible for running the company.
“Having just turned 65 years old and after 43 years of working full-time, I want to take a step forward and have made the decision to pass the CEO baton and become Executive Chair. On top of being the Chairman of the Board, I will continue highly involved in all aspects of the strategy and execution of the Company.”
“Serving our associates, customers, consumers, board members, shareholders and investors of this special Company has been the privilege of my life. It has been thanks to all of you that we are eight times larger than we were in 1997 when I took over as CEO, having carried out 93 acquisitions in this period. We are the largest baking Company in the world, with 227 bakeries, more than 151 thousand associates in the 35 countries where we operate. Together, we have achieved an unimaginable growth while delivering solid results in each of our key metrics”, said Daniel Servitje.
“I will focus on the growth strategy, competitiveness, and long-term view of Grupo Bimbo, while promoting the Culture and focusing on talent development of generations to come. We will continue to double down on quality, innovation and research and development”, he added.
New CEO appointment
As the company added, Rafael Pamias, who currently holds the COO and CSO positions, has more than 35 years of experience in business strategy and marketing in multinational companies such as Henkel and Danone. He has a degree and an MBA in business administration from ESADE in Barcelona and a master’s in international management by Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona.
“I’m honoured to have been assigned this great responsibility. I deeply thank the trust placed in me by the Board, shareholders and, of course, by Daniel. You can be sure that I am deeply committed and that I will work to continue with the success and sustainable growth that Grupo Bimbo has achieved for nearly 80 years”, said Rafael Pamias.
“Rafa is an excellent operator and a strategist with a global vision, since he joined, I have been impressed by his commitment and intelligence. His personal and professional trajectory has given him the experience of leading large organisations. He clearly sees our strengths, but also our opportunities, and what we must carry out to be a better Company for the world. He has managed to achieve good financial results in his teams, while also becoming a sustainable Company that leaves a mark, as we aspire in our Purpose. He has been the architect of our new Sustainability strategy”, added Daniel Servitje.
