FrieslandCampina names Jan Derck van Karnebeek as next CEO

FrieslandCampina has appointed Jan Derck van Karnebeek as its next chief executive officer, effective 1 June this year.

Van Karnebeek will take the reins from Hein Schumacher, who was named as Unilever’s incoming CEO in January. 

Currently chief executive of GreenV – an international group of companies active in the horticultural sector – van Karnebeek spent a large portion of his career at Heineken, working in commercial, marketing and general management positions. He served as chief commercial officer at the Dutch brewer from 2015 until 2021.

Sybren Attema, chairman of FrieslandCampina’s supervisory board, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Jan Derck van Karnebeek as our new CEO. Jan Derck is a business leader with an excellent track record of delivering growth across multiple businesses, in the Netherlands and internationally, in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business settings.”

He continued: “He is a seasoned consumer goods executive with a strong focus on value creation for the company and its owners, always with a keen eye for the interests of all stakeholders. Jan Derck believes in doing business with a purpose in which people, the planet and profit are key elements. He is known as a team player who sets the bar high for himself and others while creating an environment of trust, confidence and accountability.”

During his career at Heineken, van Karnebeek held posts in the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Austria.

Van Karnebeek said: “I am honoured to become FrieslandCampina’s new CEO. What really draws me to FrieslandCampina is that it is a modern consumer goods company – with driven employees, nutritious products and ingredients, and strong consumer and B2B brands marketed in over 100 countries – combined with the rich heritage and no-nonsense, hands-on ownership mentality of the cooperative.”

He added: “I really look forward to working with FrieslandCampina’s employees and member dairy farmers on growing and further future-proofing this great company and cooperative”.