Chocolate maker Barry Callebaut has announced the appointment of Masha Vis-Mertens as its new chief human resources officer (CHRO) and a member of the executive committee, effective 1 October 2021.
Currently, she serves as vice president of operations and supply chain EMEA and will replace Isabelle Esser in the new role.
Peter Boone, CEO of the Barry Callebaut Group, thanked Esser for her service and said, "Isabelle [Esser] transformed the HR function into a business partnering powerhouse, successfully building our talent development program and introducing our #OneBC commitment to build a more diverse and inclusive workplace, all of which will continue to serve the Group in the years to come."
Masha Vis-Mertens: Chief Human Resources Officer
Vis-Mertens is an experienced professional who joined Barry Callebaut in 2012 as global corporate account manager of operations and supply chain, and took over as the global corporate account director in 2014.
In 2017, she was appointed vice-president of human resources EMEA. Under her leadership, the division focused on talent development and retention by creating a more collaborative culture and a well-structured onboarding of new employees.
Since 2019, Vis-Mertens served as the vice-president of operations and supply chain EMEA.
Before joining Barry Callebaut, she worked at Cargill in several supply chain roles.
Vis-Mertens holds a Bachelor's degree in French and Russian and a master's degree in European Studies from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as well as an executive master's degree from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Massimo Selmo: Chief Procurement Officer
Elsewhere, the company has named company veteran Massimo Selmo as its chief procurement officer and a member of the executive committee, effective 1 October.
Selmo has been a part of Barry Callebaut for 25 years and has served as the head of global sourcing for the past 23 years.
He has been instrumental to the group's strategic growth pillar of cost leadership, the chocolate maker noted.
In addition, he championed sustainable sourcing to support Barry Callebaut's goal to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025 as part of its Forever Chocolate strategy.
His efforts resulted in the sustainable sourcing of 61% of the group's non-cocoa ingredients in the fiscal year 2019/20.
Selmo joined Barry Callebaut in 1996, having previously worked at KPMG as a senior auditor. He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.
Boone welcomed Vis-Mertens and Selmo to the executive committee and added, "Their longstanding and highly successful track record at Barry Callebaut, in combination with their diverse experience, will ensure a smooth transition, as well as continuity in the implementation of our growth strategy combined with fresh insights into its execution."
Barry Callebaut reported a 3.4% growth in sales volume in the first nine months of its financial year ended 31 May 2021.
