The Ferrero Group has announced that Paul Chibe, president and CEO of Ferrero North America, has been named global president, sugar confectionery and gums, effective Sept. 1.

Chibe, who has three decades of experience within the confectionery and consumer product industries, has led Ferrero’s North American division since 2015. He also currently serves as chairman of the National Confectioners Association’s Board of Trustees.

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. Chibe started his career at Leaf, Inc., a confectionery company that was acquired by Hershey during his tenure.

Todd Siwak, former president and CEO of Ferrara Candy Co., which Ferrero acquired in 2017, has been named president and chief business officer of Ferrero North America. Siwak will be responsible for driving the strategic growth of Ferrero’s expanding business in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, including building on the company’s confectionery success and growing Ferrero’s prominence in the cookie category with Keebler, Famous Amos and Mother’s brands.

During his seven years in leading Ferrara, he oversaw significant revenue and profit growth as a result of organizational restructuring, product revitalizations and the elimination of operational inefficiencies. Prior to joining Ferrara, Siwak was an operating partner at the private equity firm L Catterton, where he served as interim CEO for multiple companies in the firm’s portfolio. He is an alum of The University of Missouri and has a law degree from St. Louis University School of Law.

“I’m proud to join Ferrero North America and to build on the momentum here,” Siwak said. “Ferrero has an impressive portfolio of iconic brands and a reputation for product quality and excellence. I’m eager to work closely with this talented team and continue to bring value to the market, while strengthening Ferrero’s position in North America.”

Marco Capurso, a nearly 25-year Ferrero veteran, has been named CEO of Ferrara. Prior to joining the company, he has served in various domestic and global roles across three continents, ranging from marketing to business management. Capurso most recently served as chief business officer, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, for Ferrero. 

With the North American market being an important growth driver for Ferrero, Siwak joins to lead the transition from being part of an international region to its own distinct area reporting directly to Lapo Civiletti, CEO of Ferrero Group. This supports the global business’ strategy of strengthening its position in the sweet packaged food category.

Ferrero has aggressively expanded its U.S. footprint over the last five years, acquiring Fannie May and Ferrara in 2017, Nestle’s former portfolio of confectionery brands in 2018, and Kellogg’s cookie and fruit snack business in 2019. The company has also made additions to its New Jersey headquarters, built four new distribution centers, and announced plans to construct Ferrero Group’s first chocolate manufacturing plant in North America in Bloomington, Illinois.