IFCO, the leading global provider of reusable plastic containers (RPCs) for fresh foods, has appointed a new management team in its southern Europe region.
The move follows the decision by Manuel Montero Lopez, the current VP Southern Europe and general manager of IFCO Spain, to retire at the end of this financial year.
Pierre-Olivier Blanchard, currently country manager France at IFCO, has been promoted to the position of VP Southern Europe, effective 1 May.
Blanchard has been with the company since 2005 and will continue to manage the French operation as part of his expanded duties.
Elsewhere, a new appointment, Lucia Aragones, will be moving into the position of country manager Spain on 4 June.
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Under Manuel Montero Lopez’s leadership, IFCO South Europe has become the company’s second-largest region globally.
With this in mind, Pierre-Olivier Blanchard will be focusing on maintaining and expanding IFCO’s leadership position throughout southern Europe, which includes Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey, while continuing to manage the business in France.
With a background in both fresh food and logistics, Blanchard joined IFCO in July 2005 as country manager France. He has grown the business significantly by winning many large retailers, developing IFCO into the clear market leader in France.
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IFCO is also the clear market leader in Spain, with an illustrious retailer customer list.
This provides an excellent springboard for Aragones, who is joining IFCO from chocolate manufacturer Ludwig Weinrich, where she has been responsible for developing all aspects of the Spanish market.
Prior to Weinrich, she was an independent consultant for four years, following seven years at STECO, which was acquired by IFCO in 2008.
Here, Aragones spearheaded the rapid growth of the Spanish market, making STECO Spain the largest subsidiary of STECO International by a wide margin. Her previous career also includes successes at CHEP and ARC Eurobanan.
“I speak for all our management and staff when I express how grateful we are for Manuel’s hard work and dedication over the past 18 years,” said Wolfgang Orgeldinger, CEO of IFCO Systems and Group President RPC.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Pierre-Olivier as our new VP IFCO South Europe and have every confidence he will deliver the same great results as he has in France."
Orgeldinger added that he is also looking forward to welcoming Aragones at IFCO's new Spain country manager, saying, "Her extensive experience in the fields of RPC pooling, leadership and business development makes her an excellent fit for the position. With these two executives, we’ll continue to build on our excellent results and successes in southern Europe.”
For more information, visit www.ifco.com.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
