New FoodDrinkEurope president wants the European food and drink sector to become the gold standard for sustainability.
FoodDrinkEurope is pleased to announce the election of Marco Settembri, Nestlé CEO for Europe, Middle East and North Africa, as its new president.
Mr Settembri takes over the presidency of FoodDrinkEurope at a crucial time for the food and drink industry – Europe’s largest
manufacturing sector – as it looks to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, face the challenges of Brexit and help the European Union meet its ambition to deliver more sustainable food systems, and become climate-neutral by 2050.

Mr Settembri said he was honoured to be taking over the presidency and was looking forward to tackling the challenges ahead.

“Over the last months, I think we have seen the true value that the food and drink industry can bring to society. Despite the pandemic and the lockdown, we managed to keep the food supply chain going thanks to the commitment of the people in the factories, the distribution centres and on the front line. Covid-19 has reminded all of us about the importance of some everyday things that we usually take for granted in our society: availability of food and beverages, food safety and the need for a resilient food chain.

“Looking ahead, I want the European food and drink industry to be the benchmark for sustainability. We need to adapt but also to continue to work on issues that were already present prior to Covid-19: climate change, obesity, sustainable food systems. These require urgent actions. The EU’s Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy provide a unique opportunity to tackle all these issues altogether.

“I see my role at FoodDrinkEurope as bringing together small and big companies to achieve common goals. Carbon neutrality, more sustainable agriculture, a true Single Market for food and drink and fairness across the food chain: these are things that we can achieve collectively and that will make our society better.”

Mr Settembri replaces Hubert Weber who has served as FoodDrinkEurope President since June 2017.

FoodDrinkEurope Director General Mella Frewen said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing president, Hubert Weber, for his unwavering support and commitment, his wise council and strong leadership over the past three years. He has been a great asset to FoodDrinkEurope and our industry, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours. We are delighted to welcome Marco as our new president, and we look forward to working with him.

FoodDrinkEurope is also pleased to announce the election of three new Vice-Presidents today. These are Gonzalo Guillén Benjumea, General Manager of Acesur, Silviu Popovici, CEO of PepsiCo Europe, and Lars Appelqvist, CEO of AB Anders Löfberg.
(Brussels, 17 June 2020)