Christophe

I have repeatedly scaled and transformed FOOD businesses. Analytical and profit-driven executive with 20 years of experience, I have a skill set for both medium size and multinational businesses balancing an entrepreneurial outlook, sound processes and structures.

After serving in various senior management positions for IAWS, I supported as European project owner IAWS (UK&IRE) and then HIESTAND triggering the creation of a new business unit Aryzta Food Europe Services. Both companies have then merged into Aryzta, a leading multi-billion food FMCG organisation.

As CPO Aryzta Food Europe, I created a new shared services profit center and I successfully centralised purchasing increasing my volume responsibility 8-fold to 400M Euro in 13 years.
Generating consistent procurement benefits, I maximized internal manufacturing utilisation by leveraging my third-party supplier relationships resulting in establishing sales activities.
I settled an astute ability to find the optimal mix between local and global purchasing authority. Consequently, I built a strong reputation both with corporate as well as local CEOs to allow improved profitability and growth above industry average and was nominated to the European group executive committee.

After 13 years in Aryzta, I decided to refine my entrepreneurial capabilities by investing in Gebana AG.
As COO, acting CFO and board member, I doubled business volumes and EBIT, re-structured the business, reduced risk and introduced appropriate governance in finance the following 5 years.
Shaping organic and sustainable small farm holder producers to market integrated supply chains, I managed 5 business units in developing countries and a trade sales unit in the Netherlands.