CAOBISCO has a new president. The group has named Alessandro Cagli, director of the Ferrero Group EU public affairs office (Brussels), to the role, for a two-year term that starts in Oct. 2016.  He succeeds Patrick Poirrier, ceo of CÉMOI in France.

Cagli was elected to the position during CAOBISO’s General Assembly in Brussels.

An Italian native, Cagli knows Brussels intimately and is a European at heart.

From 1982-1994, Cagli was head of unit at the Italian Ministry of Industry (now Ministry of Economic Development) in Rome and from 1995-2003 he was Diplomatic Counsel for Industrial & Consumer Policy at the Italian Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels .

His current role at Ferrero includes defining, coordinating and advocating corporate positions towards EU institutions (European Commission, EU Council and European Parliament), international organizations (World Health Organization), national governments, trade associations, NGOs & media. Revenues for the Ferrero Group topped 6 billion Euros last year and the company employs more than 33,000 people worldwide.

Cagli’s first goal will be positioning the role and place of Caobisco products —chocolate, biscuits and sugar confections —in our diets:

“Pleasure and balance are our two key words! We are proud to provide our consumers with moments of pleasure, thanks to our attentively crafted sweet products,” Cagli says. “At the same time, we also want to increasingly engage with public authorities and civil society to help consumers find the best and most proper ways to fit our products into a balanced and varied diet.”

CAOBISCO also named Patrick Poirrier (outgoing president) and Francesco Tramontin, director European affairs, Mondelēz Int’l as its new vice presidents. Tramontin will become president in 2018.