DEERFIELD, ILL. – Irene Rosenfeld will step down as chief executive officer of Mondelez International, Inc. in November. At that time Dirk Van de Put, the former c.e.o. of McCain Foods, a privately held Canadian frozen food manufacturer with sales of approximately $7.3 billion, will take the reins of the global snack maker.
“I am very proud of what our 90,000 colleagues at Mondelez International have accomplished,” Ms. Rosenfeld said. “Throughout my tenure as c.e.o., the world and our industry have undergone a period of unprecedented change. During that time, we anticipated emerging challenges, adapted accordingly and created significant value for our shareholders. The outlook is bright for this great company — one of the few that has consistently delivered on both the top and bottom lines, while making critical investments for future growth.”
Ms. Rosenfeld will remain chairman of Mondelez’s board until March 31, 2018.
Mr. Van de Put has more than 30 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. Prior to joining McCain, he held leadership positions with Novartis, Groupe Danone, The Coca-Cola Co. and Mars, Inc.
“On behalf of the entire Mondelez International board, we want to welcome Dirk and are excited to begin working with him to lead the company through its next chapter of growth,” said Mark Ketchum, lead independent director of Mondelez. “Our thorough, multi-year succession process has identified Dirk as the right leader with a distinct combination of skills and industry experience necessary to succeed as our next c.e.o. Our process was global in nature and thoroughly considered numerous highly talented internal and external candidates before making our final decision.
“We also want to thank Irene for the vision and leadership she brought to building this great company. Over the past decade, she changed the face, footprint and growth prospects of Kraft Foods and then created Mondelez International, by reinvigorating the company’s iconic brands, transforming the portfolio, strengthening the company’s presence in emerging markets and aggressively improving margins. Under her stewardship, Mondelez International has become the leading global snacking company, delivering tremendous value to shareholders.”
