New Birds Eye owner Nomad Holdings has appointed former ABInBev and Delhaize exec Stéfan Descheemaeker as CEO as it looks to grow its portfolio of international food investments.
Descheemaeker will become CEO upon the closing of Nomad’s acquisition of Iglo Foods, which is expected to complete in the second quarter.
Descheemaeker “will provide the strategic direction and day-to-day leadership necessary to achieve Nomad’s vision of building a portfolio of best-in-class consumer food companies”, the investment group stated.
He will work alongside Nomad co-founders Martin E. Franklin and Noam Gottesman handling day-to-day operations and leading brand initiatives at Iglo Group.
Descheemaeker has previously served as CFO of Belgian retailer Delhaize Group and as CEO of its European division. Previously he was head of strategy & external growth at Belgian-based Interbrew, and was responsible for managing M&A and strategy, which culminated in the merger of Interbrew and AmBev in 2004.
He currently serves as a non-executive director on the Board of Anheuser-Busch InBev, a position he has held since 2008.
Gottesman commented: “Stéfan’s background aligns with our aspirations to create a leading, global consumer foods company. He possesses a rare combination of food retailing and fast-moving consumer goods experience as well as a honed expertise in corporate M&A strategy.
“Bringing Stéfan on board at this juncture also provides for strong continuity in leadership at Iglo Group as he and Elio will work together to ensure a seamless transition.”
Descheemaeker stated: “The initial investment in Iglo Group creates a solid foundation for us in the consumer foods space. Iglo Group’s brands evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for me, and I am personally looking forward to working with the talented teams to promote growth and innovation in the frozen foods category.”
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