Barilla names Gianluca Di Tondo as new CEO
Barilla, the world’s largest pasta producer, has appointed chief marketing officer Gianluca Di Tondo to replace Claudio Colzani who is stepping down, as the group’s CEO.
Colzani, who has had ten years in charge of the Parma-based pasta and pasta sauce maker, will relinquish the post next April to “pursue other professional opportunities”.
After a “scrupulous selection process” as termed by the family-owned business, which traces its origins back to 1877, Barilla wants to make use of the more than 25 years of experience in the food and beverage sector which D Tondo has to grow in profits and into new markets.
Di Tondo joined Barilla, as CMO in March 2020 and was responsible for the creation of the Barilla Al Bronzo line, the launch of new logos for Barilla and Mulino Bianco, and the establishment of the Barilla Acceleration Team – a center of excellence for digital skills and advanced analytics in London. Di Tondo also played a “key role” in the firm’s acquisition of UK direct-to-consumer business Pasta Evangelists last year.
Israel’s Strauss Group appoints Shai Babad as CEO
Israel’s Strauss Group appoints Shai Babad as CEO
Strauss Group, the Israel-based food-and-beverage business, has appointed the former director at Israel’s Ministry of Finance, Shai Babad, as the new chief executive, effective Dec.01.2022.
He will succeed company veteran Giora Bardea, who has spent more than 20 years at Strauss Group and became its CEO in 2018.
Before this appointment, Babad was the chief executive of the Israeli holding company Blue Square Group, a position he is said to have had for around six months.
Apart from being the director general of Israel’s Ministry of Finance from May 2015 to June 2020, Babad has also been a stint heading up the country’s TV and radio authority and seven years at the shipping business ZIM Integrated Shipping Services.
Babad joins Strauss Group as CEO after a challenging period for the company after spending recent months at the center of the largest product recall Israel has seen.
In April, the Israeli government suspended production at the plants in Nof Hagalil, which had been under the spotlight after a nationwide recall of products made by Strauss Group subsidiary Elite.
Later in August, the Israeli government granted Strauss Group the green light to resume production but the affair has taken a chunk out of the company’s market cap.
In the first six months of the year, sales rose 8% to ILS4.5bn, however, Strauss Group’s operating profit tumbled by more than 59% to ILS204m due to costs linked to the recall and food-safety problems at a dip’s factory in the US. Income attributable to shareholders was down 66.2% at ILS113m.
Sudhanshu Priyadarshi to take over CFO role in Keurig Dr Pepper
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. has appointed Sudhanshu Priyadarshi to the position of Chief Financial Officer, effective Nov. 14, 2022, at a time when the company has reaffirmed its full-year guidance for constant currency net sales growth in the low-double-digit range and Adjusted EPS growth in the mid-single-digit range.
Priyadarshi, a seasoned global finance, strategy, and operations executive, with more than 20 years of leadership experience in various industries including food and beverage, will report to Chief Executive Officer Ozan Dokmecioglu and lead the Company’s Finance and Information Technology organizations.
Before taking the finance helm of the beverage maker, Priyadarshi served as CFO of ammunition and sports goods company Vista Outdoor Inc. beginning in 2020, where he oversaw all financial management and strategic planning for the sporting and outdoor goods company during a period of significant organic and inorganic growth.
He has spent the majority of his career at multi-national CPG and retail companies, namely PepsiCo and Walmart.
starting his career at PepsiCo, Priyadarshi spent 14 years in financial and corporate strategy roles, including as CFO of Global R&D & PepsiCo Global Nutrition Platforms, and later moved to Cipla, a top-10 global generic pharmaceutical company, where he was Global Chief Operating Officer.
In the latter company, he led the company’s 14,000 employees in 80 countries and successfully executed more than 20 M&A transactions.
Priyadarshi then joined Walmart, serving as Vice President of Finance and Strategy for General Merchandise and Softlines division, and then Vice President of Finance for the growing U.S. eCommerce business. He left Walmart to become CFO of Flexport, a worldwide provider of logistics solutions.
For all the latest food industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
