UK – Muller, Britain’s supplier and distributor of dairy products has confirmed the promotion of Werner Stegmuller to global chief executive role effective April.

Werner was the company’s chief operating officer, a role to which he was appointed in June 2017, according to a Muller spokesperson pointed out by Just-Food.

He succeeds Uwe Sommer reported to have left the firm after joining Müller early in 2017 from Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprungli, where he served as the head of international sales and marketing.

In June 2017, Lindt had announced CFO Dr Dieter Weisskopf would become its CEO, a position for which some analysts had seen Sommer as a candidate.

Sommer succeeded Ronald Kers as head of milk, yogurt and desserts giant Müller where he became Müller’s CEO in 2014 after being promoted from the MD of the company’s businesses in the UK and Ireland.

Kers had taken on the responsibility of COO at the business on an interim basis after the departure of Rob Scholte, who spent just four months as Muller’s COO from January to April last year.

Meanwhile, 2 Sisters Food Group announced the appointment of Ronald Kers as its new Chief Executive Officer effective 1 June 2018.

Müller owner Theo Müller had reportedly also considered his daughter Jutta Johanna, who owns 2% of the shares in the business for the CEO position, reports Just-Food.