Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading cocoa and chocolate manufacturer, has announced a significant change in its Executive Committee. Peter Feld has been appointed as the new CEO with immediate effect, succeeding Peter Boone. This leadership transition was revealed in a press release ahead of the Group’s Half Year Results Media and Analyst Conference.
Peter Feld Appointed CEO of Barry Callebaut Group, Succeeding Peter Boone. Image: Barry Callebaut Group
Patrick De Maeseneire, Chairman of the Board of Directors, expressed enthusiasm for the new appointment: “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.” Feld’s extensive background includes a proven history of developing international businesses, most recently as CEO of Jacobs Holding, and leadership roles across various continents.
Peter Feld brings a wealth of experience from prominent positions at GfK, a global market research leader, and WMF Group, a renowned premium cookware and professional coffee machine manufacturer. In these roles, he demonstrated a focus on customer centricity, digitization, and fostering a strong corporate culture to ensure future readiness. Furthermore, his career includes significant tenures in the consumer goods sector at Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Beiersdorf. His commitment to sustainable development is also evident through his former role as Vice President of the German Brands Association, where he championed sustainability initiatives within the industry. Peter Feld holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from RWTH Aachen.
Upon his appointment, Peter Feld stated, “It is a great honour 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.”
Chairman Patrick De Maeseneire also acknowledged the contributions of the outgoing CEO, Peter Boone: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Peter Boone for his more than 10 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 endeavours.” Peter Boone had been in the CEO role since September 2021, taking over from Antoine de Saint-Affrique. During his tenure, Peter Boone also held the position of Chairman of the World Cocoa Foundation. It remains to be seen whether Peter Boone will also be stepping down from this role.
This leadership change comes as Barry Callebaut reported a sales volume decrease of -2.9% in its Half Year 2022-23 Results. This decline is attributed to the repercussions of the temporary shutdown of its primary Wieze factory in Belgium, which occurred due to a Salmonella incident in June 2022.
Further updates and details are expected to follow as Barry Callebaut moves forward under the new leadership of Peter Feld, succeeding Peter Boone.
