“I am very pleased with the nomination of Christophe Barnouin as our new CEO,” said Frans Koffrie, chairman of the supervisory board. “He has been at the company since 2006, building a strong track record in successfully managing and growing our French operations. Bjorg is the leading organic French brand, nearing €100m in size, while our French operations have strongly expanded and strengthened their presence in the organic market over the years, fuelled by innovations and strong brand activation.”
After starting his career at Orangina in 1991, Barnouin worked for Reckitt Benckiser and Mars before becoming managing director of Distriborg in 2006. Distriborg includes Wessanen’s grocery and HFS operations in France. In 2011, he also became responsible for Wessanen’s Italian operations.
The proposed change in governance structure would see Wessanen move from a two-tier to a one-tier board. This will also be on the agenda of the to-be-scheduled EGM. The one-tier board is a model commonly used internationally and allows for a larger involvement of the non-executive directors. Wessanen feels this board model will best enable it to meet its growth objectives going forward.
Frans Koffrie will be nominated for non-executive chairman in the new one-tier board.
Source: Royal Wessanen
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