Massimo Garavaglia, president EMEA for Barry Callebaut, is set to leave the company in April to pursue the role of director and ceo of De’Longhi S.p.A., maker of coffee machines and other home appliances.

Succeeding Garavaglia are Andrew Fleming, v.p. global accounts, and Rogier van Sligter, v.p. EEMEA, who will serve as co-presidents EMEA and members of the Executive Committee, effective May 1, 2020. The dual leadership of two senior in-house managers with a long and proven track record will secure a smooth transition, guarantee continuity and create a strong basis for continued profitable growth in the EMEA region. 

Fleming has been instrumental in securing some of Barry Callebaut’s largest global outsourcing agreements, delivering several M&A projects and launching key innovations such as Ruby, the fourth type of chocolate. Van Sligter has been driving the rapid growth of Barry Callebaut’s business in EEMEA and expansion into new markets and was responsible for M&A projects such as the recent acquisition of Inforum in Russia. 

Barry Callebaut Group CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique called Garavaglia a “real entrepreneur, a respected colleague and a trusted sparring partner.”

“Massimo has played a major role at each critical step in the development of Barry Callebaut since the creation of the company until today,” de Saint-Affrique said. “In particular, as President Americas, he has made a decisive contribution to building our leading position today, and after returning to Europe, he has led our business from strength to strength over the last 10 years. There is no better testimony to his legacy than the fact he was able to bring up the next generation of Barry Callebaut leaders. I wish him the very best for the next step in his career.

“I am very happy to welcome Andrew Fleming and Rogier van Sligter, two home-grown talents, to the Executive Committee. Under Massimo Garavaglia’s leadership, they have collaborated closely and effectively for many years. I am confident that together they will build on Massimo’s legacy and ensure the continued successful development of Region EMEA.” 

Fleming, a British national, joined Barry Callebaut in 2004, having previously worked for ABF Associated British Foods, a FTSE 100 company headquartered in London, and Classic Couverture Ltd, an independent chocolate company in Liverpool. At Barry Callebaut, Fleming has held various management roles, including managing director UK, v.p. global beverages division, and most recently, v.p. global accounts. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in food chemistry from the University of Lancaster.  

Van Sligter, a Dutch national, joined Barry Callebaut in 2004 as sales manager after working in different marketing roles for various companies before. In 2008, he became sales director Benelux & Scandinavia. From 2012 to 2016, he served as v.p. Europe North before being promoted to v.p. EEMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa) in 2016. He holds a master’s degree in International Management from Haarlem Business School in the Netherlands.

Barry Callebaut revamps UK Chocolate Academy Center

Barry Callebaut has opened a revamped Chocolate Academy Center in Banbury, UK.

The academy center will provide customers, global and local food manufacturers, and artisans and professional chocolatiers, with improved facilities and support for training. In addition, the Chocolate Academy is a hub for exploring and innovating on the latest trends, techniques and recipes in chocolate. This will also help to meet the growing demand for innovative and high-quality chocolate products in the UK. 

“The UK is a huge growth market, bursting with opportunity,” says Richard Terme, general manager UK. “The inauguration of this new Chocolate Academy Center in Banbury marks yet another milestone in our successful growth story in the UK and over the next years, we will continue to invest in our business and strengthen our collaboration with food manufacturing and artisanal customers in the UK.”

The center in Banbury is part of a global network of 23 Chocolate Academy Centers. In fiscal year 2018/19, more than 60,000 chocolate aficionados participated in these training sessions.