Hein Schumacher Appointed New CEO of Barry Callebaut
26.01.2026 | from Barry Callebaut
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26.01.2026, – Barry Callebaut AG announced today that the Board of Directors has appointed Hein Schumacher as Chief Executive Officer and successor to Peter Feld, effective 26 January 2026. With the imminent completion of the transformation programme 'BC Next Level', Peter Feld will leave Barry Callebaut to pursue new professional challenges. For the transition to Hein Schumacher, Peter Feld remains available to Barry Callebaut to particularly pass on his knowledge about the 'BC Next Level' transformation programme.
Patrick De Maeseneire, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Barry Callebaut Group, commented: 'The Board is pleased to welcome Hein Schumacher as the new CEO of Barry Callebaut after a comprehensive global search process and to start a new chapter of growth, value creation, and industry leadership with him. Hein Schumacher is an experienced, decisive leader with a unique combination of experience in the areas of food, B2C/B2B, and raw materials from two CEO positions at Unilever and Royal FrieslandCampina, as well as proven success in creating significant shareholder value. At this time, he is the right person to launch the next phase of Barry Callebaut, where we want to focus more on our customers, create a culture of success, and strengthen our financial power - based on our fully integrated business model for cocoa and chocolate.'
Patrick De Maeseneire continued: 'Peter Feld joined Barry Callebaut as CEO in April 2023 with the task of transforming our company into a simpler, leaner, and more agile organization. In addition to implementing our 'BC Next Level' transformation programme, Peter navigated our company through the perfect storm, characterized by unprecedentedly high cocoa bean prices, market turbulence, and a challenging geopolitical situation. With the upcoming conclusion of 'BC Next Level', the Board of Directors and Peter Feld have decided that now is the right time for a change at the top of the company. On behalf of the entire Board, we thank Peter Feld for his immense work and leadership strength and wish him all the best for the future.'
Hein Schumacher (born 1971, Dutch national) brings over 25 years of experience in the food sector. From 2023-2025, he was CEO of Unilever, where he implemented a comprehensive growth plan. This allowed the company to focus more on core brands with higher value creation and achieve significant shareholder value growth. Before his time at Unilever, Hein Schumacher held key positions at Royal FrieslandCampina, one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives, generating 50% of its revenue in the B2B segment. There, he served as CEO (2017–2023) and CFO (2015–2017). In his role as CEO, he led Royal FrieslandCampina through times of very volatile raw material prices and the COVID pandemic, strengthening the company through a comprehensive restructuring, leading to a more focused business and a significant sales increase. From 2003-2014, Hein Schumacher held increasingly responsible positions at HJ Heinz (now Kraft Heinz), including as President & CEO of HJ Heinz Asia-Pacific (2013–2015) and Executive Vice President of HJ Heinz China (2010–2013), with work location in Asia-Pacific. His professional career began in 1996 as a finance manager at Unilever. (See also separate biography)
Hein Schumacher stated: 'It is an honour to serve as CEO of Barry Callebaut. After a phase of unprecedented market turbulence, Barry Callebaut is at an exciting turning point. While the company continues to face market and volume pressures, a clear opportunity presents itself to return to the growth path, enhance our corporate culture, and improve our corporate performance. I look forward to working with the Barry Callebaut team to delight our customers, strengthen the balance sheet, and create sustainable, long-term value for all our stakeholders.'
Peter Feld said: 'In the past nearly three years, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most talented people in the industry and laying the foundation for future growth. As the Board and I have discussed, now that most of the 'BC Next Level' initiatives are already implemented, it is a good time to pass the baton to Hein. I do this with pride and gratitude to all involved. Barry Callebaut's future is in good hands with Hein, and I wish him all the best for his new role.'
Media Contact: Sara Thallner Head of External Communications Barry Callebaut AG Phone: +41 43 268 86 06 media@barry-callebaut.com
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Barry Callebaut
With a turnover of around CHF 6.2 billion (EUR 5.6 billion / USD 6.6 billion) for the fiscal year 2014/15, the Zurich-based Barry Callebaut Group is the world's largest manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products – from the sourcing and processing of cocoa beans to the production of the finest chocolates, including fillings, decorations, and chocolate compounds. The Group operates over 50 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated workforce of more than 9,000 employees.
The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants, or catering companies. We serve these gourmet customers with the two global brands Callebaut and Cacao Barry. The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to sustainable cocoa production to ensure future cocoa supply and improve farmers' livelihoods. It supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation in its goal to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.
Note: The "About Us" text is taken from public sources or from the company profile on HELP.ch.
Source: Barry Callebaut, Press release
Original article published on: Hein Schumacher wird neuer CEO von Barry Callebaut