Marques Out at Mondelēz
Roberto Marques is leaving his post as EVP and president of North American business at Mondelēz International.
Stepping in as interim president is Tim Cofer, who as chief growth officer spearheads the Deerfield, Ill.-based company's global growth strategy. Mondelēz will recruit a permanent successor to lead the region.
"Over the past two years under Roberto Marques' leadership, the North American team has been executing a large transformation, which has resulted in significant progress on our margin agenda, while stepping up our participation in growth areas such as well-being, broader channel penetration, especially in ecommerce, as well as entering the U.S. chocolate market," said Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO. "We appreciate Roberto's many contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors."
In his 25 years with the company, Cofer has led the company's regions in Europe, Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, progressing margin agenda, expanding market shares and driving long-term profitable growth. In addition, Cofer previously led two legacy Kraft North American businesses, Oscar Mayer and Kraft Pizza Co.
"Tim Cofer is our most experienced commercial leader with deep region leadership experience across both developed and emerging markets. We have considerable competitive advantages in North America, including our strong margin profile, iconic brands, solid innovation pipeline and strong Direct-Store-Delivery muscle," Rosenfeld said. "We are very fortunate to have an experienced leader like Tim to take on the additional responsibility of leading North America, while also continuing to architect our global growth agenda."
Marques will work with Cofer over the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
"While mobilizing our enterprise growth agenda remains a top priority for both me and the company,” Cofer said, “I'm looking forward to leading the North America business on an interim basis and working with the team to capitalize on the potential of our business in the U.S. and Canada.”
Executives of Mondelēz International recently provided an update on the company's strategic plans during a presentation at the Consumer Analysts Group of New York conference. The detailed plan to expand margins and accelerate revenue growth includes contemporizing the company's core business, and innovating to expand into new consumer need states and geographies.
The company reaffirmed its financial outlook for 2017 and will release its first quarter financial results on May 2.
Mondelēz International Inc.is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy and powdered beverages, featuring brands such as Oreo and BelVita biscuits; Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; and Trident gum.