Swiss-Irish bakery firm Aryzta has appointed a new North America CEO and chief strategy officer, as it aims to bolster its US operations.
Aryzta has named Wisconsin native Dave Johnson as the new head of its North American business, effective 23 January.
Johnson most recently served as president and CEO Americas of Swiss chocolate company Barry Callebaut, after spending over 20 years with Kraft Foods.
"Dave has a track record of successfully leading businesses in turnaround, driving cultural transformation and business development," said Aryzta CEO Kevin Toland.
"He has demonstrated a strong customer and market focus while delivering superior financial performance and growth."
In November, Aryzta posted a 7% decline in North America revenues in the first half of its financial year, driven by challenges in its Cloverhill business, as well as a further 4.5% negative impact from currency.
Leadership Changes
Meanwhile, John Heffernan has been named as Aryzta's new chief strategy officer, joining the company from DAA, which operates Ireland's Dublin and Cork airports.
"I look forward to working with Dave and John who will strengthen and deepen our team’s expertise as we focus on our core strengths and to returning Aryzta to performance and growth,” added Toland.
The bakery business has undergone a number of leadership changes in the past few months, as it aims to return to growth.
Toland, who also joined the company from DAA, began his role as chief executive on 12 September, while Frederic Pflanz was appointed as chief financial officer, effective January 2018.
In its 2017 financial year, Aryzta reported declines of 2.1%, with revenue falling to €3.8 billion.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
