Marleen Vaesen will take over as chief excecutive officer of PinguinLutosa, Wesrtozebeke, Belgium, as of Nov. 1. She will succeed of Hein Deprez, who will keep an active role as president of the Strategic Committee and controlling shareholder.
Her appointment is important in continuing to strengthen the position of PinguinLutosa in the market -- on one hand by further consolidating the acquisitions of Scana Noliko/ CECAB activity and, on the other, by creating organic growth through commercial initiatives and product development, and with clear focus on
international markets.
As previously announced, negotiations regarding the sale of Lutosa (potato products division) are ongoing. These negotiations are expected to be finalized by the end of the year.
Vaesen was previously with Sara Lee. In 1999, she became general manager of Douwe Egberts, a Belgian subsidiary of Sara Lee, where she was in charge of retail and out-of-home activities and a coffee roasting factory. In 2004 she was named senior vice president of Global Brand Coffee & Tea and was responsible for the strategic planning and innovations. From 2006 on, in her role of senior vice president at Sara Lee Coffee & Tea, she oversaw the sales and financial results of a dozen of European countries with a turnover of approximately EUR 700 million.
