DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 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
