Barry Callebaut names Alvaro Alonso as Western European president

Global chocolate and cocoa group, Barry Callebaut, has named Alvaro Alonso as President Western Europe, taking up the role within the next month, writes Neill Barston.

As the company noted, he joins the Swiss-headquartered business from  global consumer goods leader Beiersdorf.

He succeeds Pascale Meulemeester, who had spent nearly 15 years with the business, including leading its British operations, as well as growing the company’s presence in Japan, as its director for the region. 

As previously reported, the company has undergone notable changes in the past few year, with its focus on digital transformation, as well as this summer, rebranding its Barry Callebaut training academies as “Callebaut,” with the business meeting strong trading headwinds from comparatively higher cocoa prices that have impacted the company, along with the remainder of the sector, as it grapples with market challenges. 

For his part, in his new role, Alonso will oversee Barry Callebaut’s Western Europe business, reporting directly to CEO Peter Feld. He will also become a member of the company’s Extended Leadership Team.

As the company explained,Alonso, who hails from Spain, brings more than 30 years of experience in the consumer goods industry.

He spent over 14 years at Beiersdorf, most recently leading the Central and Eastern Europe region. Previously, he was responsible for the company’s North America business for more than five years, after serving as General Manager for Mexico and Iberia.

Furthermore, Alonso previously held leadership and sales positions at Carrefour and Unilever. He has also served on the boards of various NGOs and trade organizations. Alonso holds a double degree in Law and Economics from Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in Spain.

Peter Feld, CEO of Barry Callebaut welcomed him into the business. He commented: “We are very pleased to welcome Alvaro to Barry Callebaut.

:He is a seasoned global business leader with a passion for growth and innovation and brings many years of experience in the consumer goods industry and the European market. Combined with his deep understanding of delivering the highest quality to consistently meet and exceed our customers’ needs, he will be instrumental as we create the best chocolate solutions and services and take customer experience to the next level.”