Vion Food has appointed the Belgian Francis Kint (53) as CEO with effect from 1 September. He takes over the management from Interim CEO Tom Heidman who is re-appointed as member of the Supervisory Board, also with effect from 1 September.
Kint has been CEO of UNIVEG, a worldwide supplier of vegetable and fruit products since 2013. In this capacity he was jointly responsible for the merger with Greenyard Foods, which was completed in June.
After gaining his degree in civil engineering at the University of Ghent, Francis Kint started as consultant at Accenture, after which he worked for Sara Lee. His subsequent international career has consisted of various management roles at companies such as Chiquita (Vice President, North and Eastern Europe), Fiskars (President, Europe) and UNIVEG. During his career he has worked in a number of countries, including Belgium, France and Germany.
“The dynamics of the modern food industry hold no secrets for Francis. He is well versed in confronting the challenges of handling fresh products and has extensive experience in maintaining good relations with suppliers, clients and producers worldwide,” said Sipko Schat, Chair of the Board of Directors of Vion Food. “Francis is also a facilitator par excellence, getting people and companies with different backgrounds and cultures to work together effectively.”