The board of directors of Barry Callebaut, Zurich, has appointed Antoine de Saint-Affrique CEO, effective Oct 1. He will succeed Juergen Steinemann, who was elected vice chairman of the board in December, and will continue to serve as CEO until Sept. 30 and ensure a seamless executive transition.

De Saint-Affrique currently is president of Unilever Foods and a member of Unilever’s Group Executive Committee. He is accountable for businesses with a combined turnover of 12.4 billion euros across eight regions and three categories, including Unilever’s Foodservice Division and the newly formed Baking, Cooking & Spreading company.

“With Antoine de Saint-Affrique, the board has appointed a new CEO with an impressive track record in the food industry,” says Andreas Jacobs, chairman, Barry Callebaut. “Antoine’s excellent knowledge of consumer markets, his strong customer and stakeholder focus, his extensive international working experience and his remarkable success in building and integrating new businesses, as well as rebalancing portfolios toward faster growing geographies and segments, made him the right candidate for CEO after the completion of a thorough evaluation process. The board is excited to have Antoine de Saint-Affrique join our company. We are convinced his entrepreneurial spirit, strategic skills and great motivational talent will lead Barry Callebaut to the next level of growth.”

“I am honored to be given the opportunity to lead and further shape the world’s leading chocolate and cocoa company as its CEO,” says de Saint-Affrique. “Barry Callebaut offers a unique environment since it combines three qualities which rarely come together: a global leader, which is publicly listed, but also a family company with longer-term purpose, vision and a strong entrepreneurial spirit.”