Bahlsen: announces ‘Next Generation’ Leadership

Hannover / DE. (bkg) Werner M. Bahlsen announces the handover to the next gener­a­tion lead­er­ship: Verena Bahlsen will become the primary active share­holder and Phil Rumbol will be appointed the new CEO.

As active share­holder, Verena Bahlsen will represent the next gener­a­tion of the company. As such she will work closely with the Manage­ment Board to help shape and define the long-term direction of the company. She will support the devel­op­ment of Bahlsen as a brand led, socially respon­sible and finan­cially successful company. Choosing a non-executive role, Verena will implement the family’s vision and play her strengths around food inno­va­tion, cultural trans­for­ma­tion and brand building.

Werner M. Bahlsen says «I’m really pleased that Verena is taking on this role. We share a vision of where the company should go. She is passionate about the future of the company and with her clear vision and progres­sive thinking, I am confident she will help to steer it in the right direction.» Verena Bahlsen goes on to say „I’m taking the new role and the accom­pa­nying respon­si­bil­i­ties very seriously. What connects my dad and I is our passion for food, entre­pre­neur­ship and the products as well as our brands. I’m looking forward to start working with the Manage­ment Board.»

As part of the process of gener­a­tional change, Werner and Verena Bahlsen have jointly under­taken an inter­na­tional search for a new CEO. They are pleased to announce the appoint­ment of Phil Rumbol as the first non-family CEO of Bahlsen effective April 7th, 2020. Phil has over 30 years of commer­cial expe­ri­ence working for the likes of Cadbury, AB InBev, Heineken and Kraft. Most recently he has been working for Bahlsen’s global agency partner, Mullen­Lowe, having co-founded and sold his own business to them in 2017. He therefore offers an unusual blend of business trans­for­ma­tion, brand building and commer­cial delivery in multi­na­tionals, combined with the dynamism and entre­pre­neurial spirit of start-ups.

Werner M. Bahlsen explains «Appointing the first non-family CEO is an important moment for our company. We specif­i­cally searched for someone who shares our family vision and core values. Phil has a strong track record of business trans­for­ma­tion and Verena and I believe he is the right person to lead our company into a new chapter.»

Phil Rumbol says about his new role «It’s an honour and privilege to become the first non-family CEO of Bahlsen. It’s a wonderful family business with great products and a rich heritage. Having spent time with Verena and Werner, I was drawn to the inspiring vision they have for the business and look forward to working with everyone to make this vision a reality.»