Paul Chibe, president and CEO of Ferrero North America, has been named chairman of the National Confectioners Association’s (NCA) Board of Trustees for a two-year term that begins immediately. 

Chibe most recently served as vice chairman and will take over for departing NCA Board Chairman Kirk Vashaw, chairman and CEO of Spangler Candy Co. 

“The future of the confectionery industry remains bright, and it is important to have a strong and thoughtful leader like Paul as Chair of the NCA Board for the next chapter of our journey,” said John Downs, NCA president & CEO. “I am grateful for Paul's engagement, energy and commitment, and I look forward to working with him and the full NCA Board to continue to execute our strategic plan ‘Thrive in 2025.’”

Chibe has 30 years of experience within the confectionery and consumer products industries. As president and CEO of Ferrero North America, the third-largest confectionery company in the U.S., Chibe is responsible for Ferrero’s brands and business in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, and has overseen Ferrero’s category growth through innovations and expansion of the company’s offerings and presence in the region. 

Prior to Ferrero, Chibe was U.S. chief marketing officer for Anheuser-Busch InBev, where he created the  Budweiser Made in America concert series and launched the Bud Light Platinum and Rita brands. He also spent more than 10 years at Wrigley in senior marketing roles for its gum and mints brands. Paul started his career at Leaf, Inc., a confectionery company that was acquired by Hershey during his tenure.

“Since the outset of COVID-19, the confectionery category has shown incredible resilience and we’ll emerge from this challenging time even stronger,” Chibe said. “As a category and industry, we have an instrumental role to play as we move towards economic recovery, and I look forward to working alongside my industry colleagues and the NCA team to advocate on behalf of our businesses, consumers, and communities in which we operate.”

NCA also announced additional appointments to its Board of Trustees. Barry Rosenbaum, president of Nassau Candy Distributors, assumed the role of vice chairman of the NCA Board. Six industry representatives will join the Board, including:

• Sarah Atkinson, Atkinson Candy Co.
• Lisa Brasher, Jelly Belly Candy Co.
• John Brooks, Jr., Adams & Brooks
• Julia Birnn Fields, Birnn Chocolates of Vermont
• Troy Parris Pearley, Divine Chocolate
• Rachel Sweet, Sweet Candy Co.