The Financial Times says Danone has chosen Antoine de Saint-Affrique, who has run Swiss cocoa and chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut since 2015, to be its new chief executive.
The board of directors met late on Monday in Paris to ratify the nomination of the 56-year-old executive, who also spent more than 15 years at Unilever, the company said. His tenure will start in September.
The French group behind Evian bottled water and Alpro plant-based yoghurts is seeking to move on from months of infighting that culminated in previous boss Emmanuel Faber being ousted in March.
Danone’s performance has lagged behind that of its larger consumer industry rivals since the pandemic hit last year, in part because the types of products it sells — bottled water, baby formula and dairy products — have not benefited from the same Covid-19 boost that their products have received.
Companies such as Unilever and Nestlé have enjoyed greater demand for household cleaning products, pet foods and coffee.
