The Board of Directors has appointed Masha Vis-Mertens as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and as member of the Executive Committee, effective October 1, 2021. Masha Vis-Mertens, currently Vice President Operations & Supply Chain EMEA, is succeeding Isabelle Esser, who has decided to pursue her career outside the Barry Callebaut Group.
Masha Vis-Mertens (born 1971, Dutch national) joined Barry Callebaut in 2012 as Global Corporate Account Manager Operations & Supply Chain, assuming the role of Global Corporate Account Director in 2014, successfully growing Barry Callebaut’s global partnerships. In 2017 Masha Vis Mertens was appointed Vice President Human Resources EMEA. In this role she focused on talent development and retention by creating a more collaborative culture and a well structured onboarding of new employees. Since 2019 Masha Vis-Mertens has been Vice President Operations & Supply Chain EMEA. Before joining Barry Callebaut she worked at Cargill in a variety of supply chain roles. Masha Vis-Mertens holds a Bachelor degree in French and Russian and a Master degree in European Studies from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as well as an Executive Master degree from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Effective October 1, 2021, the Board of Directors has appointed Massimo Selmo as Chief Procurement Officer and as member of the Executive Committee. Massimo Selmo, currently Head of Global Sourcing, will be the Group’s first ever Chief Procurement Officer in the Executive Committee.
Massimo Selmo (born 1965, Italian and Swiss national) has been with Barry Callebaut for 25 years, of which close to 23 years as Head of Global Sourcing. In this role, Massimo Selmo contributed strongly to the Group’s strategic growth pillar of cost leadership. Furthermore, in support of Forever Chocolate, Barry Callebaut’s plan to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025, he championed sustainable sourcing, resulting in 61% of the Group’s non-cocoa ingredients being sustainably sourced in fiscal year 2019/20. Massimo Selmo joined Barry Callebaut in 1996, having previously worked at KPMG as Senior Auditor. Massimo Selmo holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.
About Barry Callebaut Group:
With annual sales of about CHF 6.9 billion (EUR 6.4 billion / USD 7.1 billion) in fiscal year 2019/20, the Zurich- based Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products – from sourcing and processing cocoa beans to producing the finest chocolates, including chocolate fillings, decorations and compounds. The Group runs more than 60 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated global workforce of more than 12,000 people.
The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants or caterers. The global brands catering to the specific needs of these Gourmet customers are Callebaut® and Cacao Barry®, Carma® and the decorations specialist Mona Lisa®.
The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025 to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods. It supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation in its goal to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.
