Dive Brief:
- Barry Callebaut named Natasha Chen as president of its North American operations starting Sept. 16, the cocoa processor and chocolate maker said in a statement. She succeeds Ben De Schryver who left to “pursue other opportunities.”
- Chen will report to CEO Peter Feld and join the company’s leadership team.
- In July, Barry Callebaut said sales volume dipped 1.4% in North America for the nine months ending May 31 as large food manufacturers saw lower demand. North America is responsible for about a third of the company’s sales volume.
Dive Insight:
Chen joins a chocolate ingredients supplier that has spent several years of research delving into cocoa, determining flavor profiles and figuring out which fruits were optimal for which applications. At the same time, the company has seen major change within its executive ranks and turmoil within the coca and chocolate space.
While Chen appears to have limited experience in food, she is no stranger to the CPG space. She most recently oversaw the global healthcare division at Ecolab. Before that, she spent more than 20 years at Colgate-Palmolive where she held various business management and marketing roles across three regions. Her global experience will help the Switzerland-based company expand its reach in the U.S. at a time when cocoa prices remain volatile, leading to higher costs for the ingredient at companies that use it.
In a statement, Feld, who became CEO in 2023, called Chen “a skilled international leader with a deep understanding of the North American market, digitalization and sustainability, which will be instrumental for us to create a more impactful service for our North American customers.” He added that “her extensive experience in taking customer focus to the next level and transforming businesses,” will prove valuable to Barry Callebaut.
