Kraft Heinz’s northern Europe chief Jojo de Noronha is stepping down from the role and leaving the company after close to a decade, The Grocer can reveal.
A former investment banker, de Noronha joined the company as a Tesco account director back in 2015, before moving into HR leadership roles. She was appointed president of northern Europe in late 2015.
De Noronha introduced changes in how Heinz approached its operations, NPD and manufacturing, as well as what she called the “liberating” of the Heinz Beanz brand. This was in response to the company’s products losing penetration among younger shoppers. “We need more relevancy and things they actually want, rather than old formats like beans and pasta in a can,” she told The Grocer in 2021. “These are fantastic, yes, but if you don’t bring that relevancy, those consumers won’t be there in the future.”
To that end, during her time at the helm of the European business, the brand has grown its DTC offering Heinz to Home, worked with the likes of Paramount to launch a The Godfather pasta sauce and teamed up with Pernod Ricard to launch an Absolut Vodka pasta sauce. Earlier this year came a Barbie-themed vegan BBQ mayonnaise – a bright pink condiment called Barbicue.
Although the partnerships appeared “an unlikely pairing for Heinz” there was “method in the madness”, de Noronha said at the time.
“By bringing together the iconicity of other brands, we’re able to tap into a whole new audience and lean into culturally relevant moments and insights, whether that’s film, food or even fashion,” she said. “UK consumers are seeking more excitement and fun from their food, and brand collaborations help us deliver this.”
An appeal broadening NPD effort also saw the brand expand into new categories including plant-based barbecue range Beanz Burgers, on-the-go breakfast pots and chilled houmous dip, Beanz Houmouz.
De Noronha had said she had wanted to turn beans into “the new avocado” by playing up their health credentials.
Her tenure has not been all plain sailing. Heinz locked horns with Tesco in 2022 in a disagreement over price, with the supermarket at the time calling the requested increases “unjustifiable”. Shelves at Tesco were left empty as Heinz halted deliveries during the dispute. However, exclusive data obtained by The Grocer found the commercial damage to the Heinz brand as a result of the dispute was minimal, and the brand recorded bumper profits that year.
Kraft Heinz said de Noronha – who sits on the boards of non-profit Rise Against Hunger and labelling and smart tag tech firm Beontag – was departing the business to pursue new opportunities. Her last day at the company will be 31 December.
“We are extremely grateful for her significant contributions to our business and our people, and wish her the very best,” said a Kraft Heinz spokeswoman.
“We look forward to announcing her successor in due course.”
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