ton christiaanse brakes

Source: Brakes

Christiaanse starts his role as CRG chairman this month

Foodservice buying group Country Range Group has appointed Ex Brakes CEO Ton Christiaanse as chairman.

Christiaanse will be the first external chairman the group has had since it was created in 1992.

He will act as a direct liaison between MD Coral Rose and the members of the board.

Chrisiaanse also holds a chairman role at Scottish beef processing company, AK Stoddart, where he has been in the position since 2015. As well as his year’s stint as Brakes CEO in 2017, he has previously held positions at Unilever and Sara Lee.

Chrisiaanse is also a member of the Institute for Turnaround.

“This is a great appointment for the CRG,” said Rose. “Ton’s experience and knowledge will be hugely beneficial to the group as we look to develop our future strategy to meet changing market and member needs.

“His reputation is second to none and I look forward to working alongside him to drive further success for the Country Range Group as we approach our 30th anniversary year in 2022.”

Christiaanse added: “I’m thrilled to be joining an organisation of such high reputation and stature as that of the Country Range Group and I can’t wait to start working alongside the board and executive team on the group’s strategic direction.

“It has been a challenging time for the foodservice industry, but the CRG are in a strong position, and I am positive we can build on the success already achieved by the group.”