Kraft names European ops head

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND Kraft Foods announced that it has appointed Jean-Paul Rigaudeau as president of the company’s European operations, succeeding Joachim Krawczyk who is retiring after 29 years with the company.

Rigaudeau, who joined Kraft in 2004, was most recently the head of Kraft’s $2.5 billion EU Chocolate business. Rigaudeau will report to Sanjay Khosla, president of Kraft International.

“Joachim and his team have delivered improved topline performance in the EU, led by our coffee and chocolate businesses. As a member of this dynamic team, Jean-Paul is a natural choice to lead Kraft’s $8 billion+ European operations. I’m confident he can drive the region to even greater success in the years ahead” said Khosla.

Before taking on Kraft’s EU chocolate business earlier this year, Rigaudeau was vp and area director for Kraft in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and for World Travel Retail.