The board of directors of Swiss dairy firm Emmi has nominated chief executive Urs Riedener (pictured above) as its next chairman.
Riedener will succeed current board chairman Konrad Graber, who will not stand for re-election at the Emmi General Meeting in April 2023.
Riedener will step down from his position as CEO at the end of 2022 to concentrate on the new role.
The nomination is part of the company’s early succession arrangements regarding a double leadership change for the board of directors and group management, Emmi added.
The company added that it is likely to elect a new CEO in the spring of 2022.
An Experienced Professional
Riedener is an experienced professional who took over responsibility for operational management at Emmi in 2008.
Under his leadership, the company has achieved consistent and sustainable performance and emerged as one of the leading international premium suppliers of dairy products.
With subsidiaries in 14 countries outside Switzerland, the company offers a brand portfolio comprising concepts such as Emmi Caffè Latte or Kaltbach, and speciality desserts, among others.
Elsewhere, Graber will step down after 15 years as a member of Emmi’s board of directors and 12 years as its chairman.
He has led the board with great care and circumspection and has been instrumental in the further development of Emmi, the company added.
'An Internationally Successful Group'
Graber commented, “Emmi has evolved into an internationally successful group with premium dairy products and strong brands. Due to the excellent positioning among all our stakeholders, I consider this an ideal time to initiate leadership succession arrangements for Emmi.
“We are pleased that current CEO Urs Riedener – whose initiative and committed leadership are intrinsic to Emmi’s success and culture – wants to move to the strategic level and will thus be able to continue to shape the future of the group.”
The company reported net sales growth of 6.1% in its financial year 2020, to CHF3.72 billion (€3.4 billion).
