Patrick Poirrier, ceo of CÉMOI, is the newest president of CAOBISCO. Photo provided.

Patrick Poirrier, French ceo of chocolatier CÉMOI, has been elected president of CAOBISCO, the Association of Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of Europe.

At its General Assembly in Amsterdam, the association elected Poirrier, to a two-year mandate that started June 13. He succeeds Mr Tobias Bachmüller, ceo of Katjes Fassin GmbH + Co in Germany.

Born in 1971, Poirrier is the third-generation to head the family company CÉMOI Group, which is a French specialty chocolate and confectionery manufacturer and cocoa processor.

Poirrier graduated from the French business school, Ecole de commerce of Montpellier. After that he created and headed the Ivory Coast subsidiary of CÉMOI in 1996.

He then went on to become industrial manager for the CÉMOI group followed by chief operating officer. Poirrier was appointed ceo in 2005 and the company now has more than 3,000 employees in 21 sites across the globe.

Patrick Poirrier is also a key figure in Alliance 7 (a French association), where he serves as the president of the raw materials committee and v.p. of the chocolate sector.

CAOBISCO’s current v.p.s are Tobias Bachmüller (outgoing president) and Alessandro Cagli, director European affairs, Ferrero. Cagli is slated to become president in 2016.

With 17 member National Associations as well as direct member companies and affiliated members, CAOBISCO is the voice of more than 11.000 European chocolate, biscuit and confectionery manufacturers all over Europe.