Deerfield, Ill., USA - August 27, 2013, Deerfield, Ill., USA - Mondelez International, a food company, announced that Pradeep Pant, EVP and president, Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (EEMEA), will retire at year-end.
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Mr. Pant has served as President, Asia Pacific since joining the company in January 2008. In his current role, he continues to lead the Asia Pacific region, and he also oversees the newly formed EEMEA region. He is also the President of Food Industry Asia, an association representing the food and drink industry and an Advisory Board Member of the Singapore Management University Lee Kong Chian School of Business.
Prior to joining the company in 2008, Mr. Pant was Fonterra Brands’ Regional Managing Director for Asia, Africa and the Middle East and served as a member of the Fonterra leadership team. He was also responsible for leading the company’s Global Brands marketing group.
Prior to Fonterra, he spent 19 years with Gillette in countries throughout Southeast Asia, Greater China, Australia, Korea, Japan, India, Russia and Turkey. His last assignment with Gillette was as President, Asia Pacific. His earlier experience includes working with Nestle, J. Walker Thompson and Tatas.
Mr. Pant holds a master of Management Studies degree from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai.
Timothy P. Cofer, who currently serves as EVP and President, Europe, will replace Mr. Pant.
Mr. Cofer joined Kraft Foods, the predecessor to Mondelez International, Inc. in 1992. He currently leads the European business, based in Zurich, Switzerland.
During his career at the company, he has progressed through a number of roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, he held strategic responsibility for the company's chocolate business as Senior Vice President, Global Chocolate Category Team.
Prior to this, Mr. Cofer served as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Integration, leading the global integration efforts following the company's acquisition of Cadbury in early 2010. He also was the architect of the company's European chocolate category model (2003-2006). His career has also included successful tenures leading the Oscar Mayer business (2007) and the company's former US pizza business (2008-2010).
He started his career in marketing research prior to joining Kraft Foods giving him well more than 20 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. He was valedictorian of his MBA class at the University of Minnesota. He earned his bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from St. Olaf College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude.
Mr. Cofer will begin his new role in mid-September.
Hubert Weber, President Coffee, Europe, and leader of the company's Global Coffee Category Team, will succeed Mr. Cofer.
With more than 25 years with the company, Mr. Weber brings a deep knowledge of the European business from both a country and category point of view. Since 2010, he has overseen the shift of the company's European coffee category from a declining roast-and-ground business to a portfolio that's now centered on value-added on-demand products, such as Tassimo and Millicano.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Weber was President, Germany, Austria and Switzerland (2008-2010), which he transformed from a slow-growth, low-margin operation to one with superior growth and profitability. As President, Iberia (2007-2008), he made tough business decisions to restructure operations, including four divestitures and the integration of two acquisitions, while delivering solid growth. ■