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Swiss bakery business Aryzta has announced the appointment of Michael Schai, a former employee of the company, as its chief executive officer, effective 1 January 2025.

Upon his appointment, current interim CEO Urs Jordi will step down and shift his focus to his role as Aryzta's chairman and member of the board.

Schai – who is the current CEO of Swiss chocolate company Lindt & Sprüngli's Australian operation – has previously worked with Aryzta from 2015-2018, where he served in roles including managing director for Asia Pacific and global strategic business lead (McDonald’s). The fast-food giant McDonald’s is one of Aryzta's significant clients.

is said to bring extensive experience in the global food industry, having worked across Australia, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.

Aryzta's chair of the governance, nomination and sustainability committee, Alejandro Legarda, said: “The board’s thorough succession planning process has resulted in the appointment of an outstanding candidate in Michael Schai. He has all the attributes that the board sought during the lengthy recruitment process, including strong leadership values, in-depth knowledge of the food and bakery industry and commercial expertise in international markets. With these skills, the board is confident that Schai will continue to drive performance for Aryzta.”

He continued: “The board unanimously appointed Jordi as interim CEO of Aryzta in November 2020. In his role as interim CEO, Jordi confidently steered the group through a period of significant financial risk and business uncertainty. He leaves his interim CEO role having installed stable experienced management, returned the company to organic growth and significantly improved business performance"

"On behalf of the board, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for Jordi’s strong commitment, passion and dedication to the turnaround and success of Aryzta and also to all the Aryzta employees who were committed to the success of the company."

Jordi commented: “It has been an honour to lead Aryzta since my appointment by the board as interim CEO...and to deliver on our promises to our shareholders and stakeholders. As I hand over the CEO role to Michael Schai, I am delighted to continue as Aryzta's chairman and member of the board. Schai has the necessary bakery experience, proven leadership skills and extensive international commercial knowledge in the European, Australian and Asian markets that we need to continue Aryzta's success."

"Today’s appointment combined with continued strong support and oversight by the board will ensure stability and continued performance at Aryzta.”

Schai added: “I am delighted to return to Aryzta as CEO of the group. I have followed the success of the turnaround in a period of numerous challenges, both internal and external. This is representative of the resilience, commitment and passion of Urs Jordi, the senior executive team, its board of directors and the management and employees.”

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