EUROPE – American multinational confectionery and snack food company Mondelēz International has appointed Jay Cooper as the new President for Northern Europe.  

Prior to his promotion, Cooper served as Senior Vice President of Growth for North America. 

He succeeds Clive Jones, who will take on the new role of business president for central Europe, EU central sales and global licensing. 

Cooper will be responsible for the company’s businesses in the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. 

Mondelēz Northern Europe manufactures and sells brands such as Cadbury, Oreo, Maynards Bassetts, Ritz, belVita, Freia and Maribou. 

Since joining Mondelēz in 2008, Cooper “has successfully led biscuit, chocolate and confectionery businesses both in the US and internationally”.  

Prior to Mondelēz, he worked at The Hershey Company between 2003-2008 and at Nabisco between 1997-2002. 

“The business continues to deliver strong growth year-on-year, investing in our operations, colleagues and best-loved brands,” Cooper said in a statement. 

 “I’m looking forward to building on this success, responding to changing customer expectations in a dynamic policy environment.” 

Earlier Mondelez said it will continue to trade in Russia, with the Milka chocolate maker saying it will focus on selling “basic offerings”. 

The snacks giant is making changes to its business in Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine but will still market certain foods. 

“As a food company, we are scaling back all non-essential activities in Russia while helping maintain continuity of the food supply during the challenging times ahead,” Van de Put’s statement read.  

“We will focus our operation on basic offerings, discontinue all new capital investments and suspend our advertising media spending.” 

Mondelez’s business in Russia includes a factory producing chewing gum products in Veliky Novgorod, another in Pokrov making chocolate and a third in Sobinka churning out biscuits.  

Last month, the company entered a new category in Russia – nut butter – with the launch of Milka-branded products made in Belgium. 

Despite increasing external pressure, a small group of food manufacturing multinationals have stayed put in Russia to provide essential food items. 

Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever and Danone are among those that have announced they will suspend their investment in Russia but maintain the manufacturing and sale of certain food products. 

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