Former United Biscuits CEO Jeff van der Eems has been made chairman at Continental Bakeries to help the European bakery group consolidate the biscuits market.
It comes as Goldman Sachs and investment firm Silverfern completed the acquisition of Continental Bakeries from NPM Capital. The deal was agreed in April and has been given the green light by regulators.
Van der Eems joins the board after stepping down from the helm of UB after a year in the role in March. He spent more than 11 years at the food manufacturer in various senior positions.
Continental Bakeries specialises in making biscuits and bread replacements, focusing on private label products and a number of brands such as Haust, Gille and Grabower. The Dutch group has 12 factories in Western Europe with a total of 1,550 employees.
“Jeff is an industry veteran and his deep industry expertise will be of great value to us,” said Continental Bakeries CEO Ruud van Henten.
Van der Eems added: “I am excited about the opportunity to join Continental Bakeries and support the company in developing a consolidation strategy for the European biscuits market. The European biscuits and bread replacement market is highly fragmented and ripe for consolidation.”
Mike Ebeling, an MD in the Goldman Sachs merchant banking division, said: “We are pleased with the swift completion of the acquisition and very excited to have Jeff on board bringing his deep sector knowledge and track record of creating shareholder value. We are looking forward to working closely together as Continental Bakeries moves forward on its ambitious growth plans.”
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