PARIS — Antoine de Saint-Affrique has been named chief executive officer of Danone, effective Sept. 15. His appointment follows a “rigorous selection process” to replace Emmanuel Faber, who departed the company in March.

Mr. de Saint-Affrique joins Danone from global chocolate maker and cocoa processor Barry Callebaut, where he was CEO since 2015. Previously, he held senior executive positions at Unilever, where he led its food division as president from 2011 to 2015. Earlier, he was vice president of marketing and a partner at Amora Maille, a food company that was acquired under a leveraged buyout from the Danone Group.

Mr. Faber was chairman and CEO of Danone since 2015. Véronique Penchienati-Bosetta, CEO of Danone International, and Shane Grant, CEO of Danone North America, were tapped to jointly lead the business in the interim, and Gilles Schnepp was named the chairman of the board.

“As a board we have delivered on our promise to search and find swiftly the best person to lead Danone through the next phase of our evolution,” Mr. Schnepp said. “This marks a new chapter of leadership and a continuation of how we, as a board, have been transitioning governance at the company for a few weeks already. We unanimously agree that Antoine de Saint-Affrique is a standout leader in the consumer goods world. He has a distinguished track record of innovation and delivery. Importantly, he brings the right blend of strategic vision, international consumer goods experience, and operational execution skills to Danone.”

Danone’s board of directors said it will propose Mr. de Saint-Affrique as a new member at the next annual shareholders’ meeting in April 2022.