Hein Schumacher

Hein Schumacher was appointed CEO of Barry Callebaut effective January 26, 2026.

Hein Schumacher is a global business leader with a proven track record across multiple leading companies in the food sector.
From 2023-2025, he served as CEO of Unilever, where he implemented a comprehensive growth plan that allowed the company to sharpen its focus and increase execution discipline around power brands and key geographies. He also led a substantial portfolio review and restructuring / organizational change program achieving significant shareholder value growth during his tenure.
Prior to Unilever, he was CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina, a €13bn global dairy business. During his tenure, Hein delivered significant portfolio and organization change as part of transforming the company into a more focused, growth-driven and sustainable business. Prior to becoming CEO, Hein was Royal FrieslandCampinas’s Chief Financial Officer for three years.

Previously, Hein worked for HJ Heinz (now Kraft Heinz) for over a decade. In 2008, he was appointed Chief Strategy Officer, before moving to Heinz China in 2011 as its President and CEO. In 2013, he was appointed Executive Vice President of Heinz’s Asia Pacific Zone and led a successful turnaround of the business, which spanned China, Indonesia, India, Japan and Oceania.
Earlier in his career, Hein worked in finance for Royal Ahold NV (now Ahold Delhaize). He began his career as a Finance Manager in Unilever, working in Germany and the Netherlands.

Hein served as a Non-Executive Director of Unilever from October 2022 until his appointment as CEO. From January 2021 to October 2022, he was a member of the Supervisory Board of C&A AG.

Hein holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Amsterdam and a Bachelor’s degree in Banking & Finance (Free University – Amsterdam).