Fonterra Cooperative Group’s managing director of its Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa business unit, Pascal De Petrini, has resigned with immediate effect to take up a role with his former company and Fonterra arch competitor, the French food giant Danone, less than 18 months after moving to the world’s largest dairy exporter.
De Petrini, who is a member of Fonterra’s management team, will return to France to take the role as Danone’s executive vice president strategic resource cycles in mid-June, Auckland-based Fonterra said in a statement.
Fonterra has begun the process to recruit a successor and aims to have a final structure in place by Aug. 1, the company said. In the interim, the unit will be managed by a temporary structure with the heads of the regions reporting director to Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings.
Spierings said De Petrini had strengthened Fonterra’s consumer and foodservice business since joining in October 2013.