McCain Foods has selected chief financial officer Max Koeune as the replacement for outgoing CEO Dirk Van de Put, who will take over from Irene Rosenfeld at Mondelēz International.
It was announced earlier today that Rosenfeld would retire, amid persistent pressure from investors and weak second-quarter sales, with Van de Put set to take over in November.
Max Koeune will also start his new role in November. McCain Foods said that Koeune had “played a lead role in the development and delivery of a very successful global growth and transformation strategy, organically and through acquisitions”. The company said he had progressed since he joined the business in 2012.
Koeune had previously held various positions at Danone, including head of corporate development.
Koeune said: “I am honoured to be selected to lead this great company. McCain Foods’ performance has gone from strength to strength in recent years. I am grateful to Dirk for all he has done, and proud to have worked with him and the senior leadership team to set such a strong purpose, vision and strategy for our business. I am dedicated to continuing this transformational journey and driving for the results that I know McCain can realise.”
Outgoing CEO Dirk Van de Put said: “As I’ve said so many times before, it really is the McCain people who make this company so great, which is also why I take immense pleasure in handing the baton over to one of our own. Max’s appointment shows first-hand the cultivation of our own talent and the importance of clear succession planning. I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Max for many years, and I know that his deep industry knowledge, expertise, and commitment to the business make him the ideal custodian of this very special business.”
McCain Foods chairman Allison McCain continued: “I want to thank Dirk for his outstanding leadership and dedication to McCain. Dirk has proven himself to be a visionary leader over the past seven years, leading our journey to create the ‘new McCain’ and return this business to sustained profitable growth. As we celebrate our third consecutive record year, we all agree that it’s been a very successful journey, and one that I know will be continued by his successor.
“Since joining McCain in 2012, Max has also proven himself to be an excellent leader, with a passion for cultivating McCain Foods’ unique family culture as well as delivering consistently strong financial results which have seen the company maintain its market leading position. Max, Dirk and the board are working very closely together to ensure a smooth and seamless handover process. Along with the rest of the board, I believe that there is no person better suited to seamlessly assume the role of McCain president and CEO [than Max Koeune].”
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