Barry Callebaut's board of directors has appointed Peter Feld as its new chief executive officer of the Barry Callebaut Group, with immediate effect. Peter Feld succeeds Peter Boone, who is stepping down for personal reasons.

"We are delighted that Peter Feld, a seasoned leader with over 30 years’ experience at top global consumer goods and services companies, is joining Barry Callebaut. His track record with international brands is exceptional. In addition, he has many years of experience in the food industry. This unique combination makes him the ideal person to further develop Barry Callebaut successfully with a focus on sustainable growth," says Patrick De Maeseneire, chairman, board of directors.

Feld, previously CEO of Jacobs Holding, has leadership experience in companies on almost every continent. He headed GfK, one of the world's leading market research companies, and WMF Group, a leading premium cookware and professional automatic coffee machine maker for private and professional customers, and successfully developed both companies further, concentrating on customer centricity, digitization, and corporate culture to drive future readiness. In addition, he gained decades of experience in leading positions in the consumer goods industry, namely at Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Beiersdorf. As former vice president of the German Brands Association, he has also played a key role in driving forward the topic of sustainable development for the industry. Feld holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from RWTH Aachen.

"It is a great honor to assume responsibility as CEO of Barry Callebaut. Chocolate is a life-long passion, even more so as I started my career in the food industry. I am very much looking forward to bringing my leadership experience to Barry Callebaut and am excited about writing the next chapter of our success story together with the entire team," says Feld.

"On behalf of the board of Directors, I would like to thank Peter Boone for his more than ten years of service to Barry Callebaut. As a next step, he has decided to set up life closer to home to be able to spend more time with his family. We wish him all the best for his future endeavors," says De Maeseneire.