Sara Lee Corp. (SLE) named insider Harm-Jan van Pelt and former
Unilever PLC (UL, ULVR.LN) executive Eugenio Minvielle as chief
operating officers to lead its international coffee and tea
division, which is being spun off later this year.
The packaged-food company said van Pelt's role covers the
business in Eastern Europe, Australasia and Latin America and
becomes effective April 30. He will continue as chief operating
officer rest of world once the international coffee and tea
business is spun off.
Van Pelt, 49 years old, joined Sara Lee in 1998 and is a member
of the company's executive committee. He has held a number of
international marketing and general management roles in both the
household and body care business and the coffee and tea
business.
Minvielle, 47, was previously chief executive of North America,
overlooking Unilever's operations in the U.S., Canada and the
Caribbean. Sara Lee said he has more than 20 years of experience in
the consumer packaged goods industry, primarily in the coffee
industry.
Minvielle will be chief operating officer of Sara Lee's
international coffee and tea developed markets division, primarily
focused on Western Europe, and a member of the executive
committee.
Once a hodgepodge of household products and food brands, Sara
Lee has worked to sell off businesses and narrow its focus over the
past few years. The company is also in the process of splitting
apart, separating into an international coffee and tea business and
a North American business that includes the Jimmy Dean and
Hillshire Farms brands.
The company reported last month its fiscal second-quarter
earnings fell 44% on charges as an 11% jump in coffee and tea
segment sales contributed to a 6.3% revenue increase.
Shares closed at $21.54 Tuesday and were untraded in recent
premarket activity. The stock is up roughly 14% in the year to
date.
-By Melodie Warner, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2283;
melodie.warner@dowjones.com