New Tetra Pak CEO appointed
Tetra Laval Group Board has announced Adolfo Orive as the new President and CEO of Tetra Pak. The appointment follows the decision by Dennis Jönsson to step down after 14 years in the position – and 36 years with the company. Orive, 55, joined Tetra Pak in 1993, holding roles including Cluster Vice President North Central and South America, Managing Director of Colombia, Spain and Cluster Vice President North and Central Europe. Tetra Pak is a global food processing and packaging solutions giant with 25,000 employees. It’s revenue, in 2017, topped 11.5 billion euros. Orive takes the reins on April 1.
New global boss for McVitie’s manufacturer
Snack food giant Pladis has appointed Salman Amin as its new global CEO. The announcement comes months after Cem Karakas stepped down from his role. Amin said he would waste no time immersing himself in the culture of Pladis while working to “strategically diversify” its global brand McVitie’s, as well as the Ulker and Godiva ranges. “I’ve built a career on seeking out opportunities to rewrite the rules, diversify and be part of consumer evolution,” he said. “At Pladis we have the opportunity to make our local favourites global stars and share the heritage of our biscuits and confectionery with the world.” Amin has amassed vast leadership experience across the FMCG sector and was most recently Global Chief Operating Officer for SC Johnson & Son’s international commercial division. Prior to that, he occupied various positions at PepsiCo including Chief Marketing Officer and President of its UK and Ireland operation. He also spent ten years at Procter & Gamble working in the US, Germany, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. The international biscuit, chocolate and confectionery company was formed in 2016 by Turkey’s Yildiz. The following year it posted annual gross revenue totalling £3.5 billion. More than 17,000 people are employed at 34 factories in 13 countries.
Murray takes Premier position
Premier Foods CFO Alastair Murray (pictured) has taken on the additional role of acting CEO after Gavin Darby stood down at the end of the January. Murray joined Premier Foods in 2013 from British dairy supplier Dairy Crest where, during a 10 year tenure, he led a significant restructuring to simplify the business, successfully addressed its pension deficit and transformed it into an industry leader with brands such as Cathedral City and Clover. Darby’s departure follows a much publicised war with activist investor Oasis Management, which last year voted against his re-election as CEO. Premier confirmed the Board’s search process for Darby’s successor was “underway” and that Murray would assume the role on a temporary basis.
New MD at Romaco Kilian GmbH
Matthias Weber is the new Managing Director of tablet press manufacturer Romaco Kilian GmbH. Weber, 48, was appointed by the Romaco Group last month and will be responsible for its tablet press manufacturing operations that span the pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries. “Matthias Weber is a proven specialist for processing applications in the pharmaceutical industry who knows exactly where our customers’ priorities lie”, explained Jörg Pieper, CEO of the Romaco Group. “He has everything it takes to make Kilian products even more competitive in the international arena.” Germany based Romaco is a leading international supplier of processing and packaging equipment specialising in engineering technologies for pharmaceutical solids. The group provides individual machines and turnkey solutions for manufacturing and packing powders, granulates, pellets, tablets, capsules, syringes and medical devices. Romaco has delivered more than 12,000 installations across 180 countries.
Rankin returns
Jonathan Rankin is the new CEO of Australian based packaging pioneer tna. Founded in 1982 by Alf Taylor and his wife Nadia, tna revolutionised the snack food industry by inventing the world’s first rotary, continuous motion, high-speed VFFS system. The company has since grown into a global leader of food processing and packaging solutions for a wide range of industries spanning snacks, confectionery as well as fresh and frozen produce. It operates out of 30 sites and employs 500 staff around the world – a huge step-up from when the Taylor’s started the business from their kitchen table.
Rankin is no stranger to tna, having held various management roles between 1993-2003. “We were thrilled when he decided to come back,” said Mr Taylor.
APEAL appoints new president
Tony Waite is the new President of the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL). Waite, who is Sales Director Packaging at Tata Steel Europe, was elected unanimously and succeeds Stéphane Tondo of ArcelorMittal.
He said that during his biennial presidency term, APEAL would see “implementation” of the EU’s Circular Economy Package, adding: “Steel packaging is poised to play a key role in cutting packaging and food waste, helping brands to achieve their sustainability objectives.”
APEAL is a federation of four multi-national producers of steel for packaging (ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel Packaging, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, U.S. Steel Košice). In total these companies employ over 200,000 workers in Europe. Steel, meanwhile, is gaining traction as a unique packaging material with exceptional environmental credentials.
Mr Waite said his predecessor Stéphane had done a “remarkable job” increasing the visibility and profile of the organisation. “Under his Presidency APEAL consolidated sustainability leadership of steel for packaging with a recycling rate of 79.5 percent, launched a major report into good industry practices and increased awareness of the value of a permanent material such as steel in a circular economy.”
B&G Foods boss Bob Cantwell bows out
B&G Foods veteran Robert Cantwell will retire in April after 35 years with the company. His career has seen stints in various leadership roles, including Chief Financial Officer and the last four years as President and CEO. During his time in charge, he completed six acquisitions, including the two largest in the company’s history – Green Giant and the spices and seasonings business of ACH Food. Current vice president and COO Kenneth Romanzi will succeed him. Cantwell said: “It has been an honour and a privilege.”
