Swiss food company Hero Group has promoted chief business officer Christian Schierbaum to the position of CEO.
Schierbaum will succeed Rob Versloot, who is stepping down after over 12 years at the helm of the company behind brands such as Schwartau, Semper and Freche Freunde.
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In a statement, Hero said the group had been “very successfully transformed” during Versloot’s tenure from a decentralised holding into “integrated, focused, and fast-growing” company.
Versloot said: “After having grown the company consistently at double-digit pace in the last three years, and having taken measures to future-proof the company, Hero is now on very solid foundations and well positioned for the future.”
Schierbaum joined Lenzburg-headquartered Hero in 2019 as chief marketing officer and took on broader responsibilities as chief business officer three years later.
He has over 20 years of experience in the FMCG sector, having held senior positions at Wella, Reckitt Benckiser and Mondelēz International across Europe.
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By GlobalDataSchierbaum, who will become Hero CEO on 1 June, said: “We can now take the next step in the future of Hero, which will have a more-focused approach to snacking while continuing to grow the entire portfolio.”
In 2024, Hero consolidated its jam production in Spain, sold production sites in Switzerland and Sweden, and divested its Nordic gluten-free business to Dr. Schär.
It also acquired UK-based healthy food brand Deliciously Ella to “help supercharge sales” in the UK and other markets.
In 2024, Hero’s net sales rose 2.6% to SFr1.25bn ($1.51bn), while its gross margin improved to 32.1% from 31% in 2023.
Hero’s operating profit grew by approximately 134.7% in 2024 to SFr54.7m.
Net income for the year increased by approximately 231.3% to SFr36.5m.
Announcing the results in March, Versloot said: “We believe the company is now on a stronger footing thanks to difficult decisions we took at the right time on our transformation and strategy moving forward.”
