HOERSHOLM, DENMARK — Mauricio Graber, president of the flavors division of Givaudan S.A., has been selected as the new chief executive officer for Chr. Hansen, effective June 1. He will take over for Cees de Jong, who last November announced his plans to step down.
“With over 20 years of experience in the global ingredients industry, he is a truly international executive,” Ole Andersen, chairman of the board of directors for Hoersholm-based Chr. Hansen, said of Mr. Graber. “Mauricio brings a strong track record and extensive global leadership experience from his current position. I am excited that Mauricio will take over as new c.e.o. of Chr. Hansen and am convinced he is well suited to contribute to the continued strong performance and growth in Chr. Hansen.”
Mr. Graber’s professional career began in 1989 in the United States when he was business development manager for The Nutrasweet Co. In 1991 he moved to Mexico and became regional head of North Latin America.
Mr. Graber joined Tastemaker, a flavor company based in the United States, in 1995 as regional president of Latin America. After Givaudan acquired Tastemaker in 1997, Mr. Graber was appointed regional president of Latin America of the combined regional business and worked out of Brazil. In 2006 he was appointed president of the flavors division based in Switzerland.
Mr. Graber received a bachelor of science in electronic engineering from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico and a master's degree in management from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the United States.
“I have followed Chr. Hansen for many years and am very impressed with its unique position and the strong results continuously being delivered,” Mr. Graber said. “I am very excited to relocate to Copenhagen and join the company. I really look forward to meeting and beginning to work with the company’s leadership team and its many committed employees.”
