EUROPE – World’s leading taste and nutrition company Kerry Group has announced the appointment of Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder as president and CEO of its European taste and nutrition business.

Hahlin Ahlinder who most recently served as an executive board member at ingredients company Döhler succeeds Malcolm Sheil who has been appointed to the new role of chief commercial officer.

Hahlin Ahlinder has also previously held roles with Danisco and DuPont Nutrition and Health.

Kerry says he has a ‘strong network’ of customer relationships within the taste, nutrition and health marketplace, according to Kerry.

Commenting on the appointment, Gerry Behan, CEO of Kerry taste and nutrition said: “Thomas is joining a fantastic team which has consistently demonstrated agility and ingenuity in adapting to the changing conditions and I look forward to working closely with him as we work together to inspire food and nourish life.”

According to Behan, Kerry’s Europe region saw a significant improvement in the third quarter of this year with strong growth and business development across several areas including plant-based alternatives, snacks and the retail channel.

In its third year, Kerry had said the region saw the most notable improvement in performance in the third quarter driven by foodservice, having initially been more impacted from COVID-related restrictions.

The groups Europe retail channel performed well, with Beverage achieving good growth through solutions for nutritional beverages and a number of launches in the low/non‐alcoholic category.

Kerry also noted that Snacks had very good growth in savoury applications with a number of large customers, while Confectionery was impacted by product repositioning in the category.

Overall, the company noted its first 9 months were severely impacted by the COVID-19 resulting in a revenue drop of 4.5%, reflecting a volume reduction of 4.7%.

The company also recently unveiled a sustainability strategy including a commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse emissions before 2050, as well as a new brand identity.

 “I am thrilled to be joining Kerry and excited about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” Hahlin Ahlinder said.

 “Kerry is a company with a rich history of market-driven and customer-connected innovation, a true leader in the taste and nutrition space and I look forward to working with the team on the next phase of growth.”

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