The Board of Directors of Barry Callebaut AG, the world’s leading manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products, has appointed Richard Crux as a new member of its Senior Management Team effective May 15, 2003. He will assume responsibility for the Consumer Products business unit. Furthermore, it is proposed that he serve as Speaker of the Executive Board of German Stollwerck AG. He will be the successor to James D. Forman.

Since 1996 Richard Crux has held managerial positions with Deutsche Post AG in the areas of Strategic Planning, Marketing and, since February 2000, as member of the Divisional Management "Mail". He spent the years from 1993 to 1995 as Marketing Director Coffee and member of the Management Board of Kraft Jacobs Suchard Germany. From 1990 to 1993 he worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company, focusing on consumer goods, trade and logistics. He started his career as a Brand Manager and Key Account Manager with Jacobs Suchard in 1986. Patrick De Maeseneire, CEO of Barry Callebaut, comments: "Richard Crux will add valuable experience in marketing as well as in strategic planning both in consumer goods and in other industries. These are the capabilities we need at this point in time in order to strengthen our consumer business in the medium and the longer term. Within his time-limited assignment, James Forman has prepared and completed the acquisition of Stollwerck and he has implemented the first steps in the integration and the restructuring process of the company. His assigment is now completed and we wish to thank him sincerely."

Richard Crux (born 1960) studied Business Administration at the University of Münster, Germany, with a special focus on marketing and statistics. He is a German national and married with three children.

Barry Callebaut:
Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading producer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products with sales of around CHF 2.6 billion in fiscal 2001/02 (ended August 31). Barry Callebaut operates some 34 production facilities in 16 countries and has approximately 7,000 employees. The company is divided into four strategic business units: Cocoa, Sourcing & Risk Management, Food Manufacturers, Gourmet & Specialties and Consumer Products.
Our customers range from industrial processors, such as the world famous branded consumer goods manufacturers incorporating Barry Callebaut products, to artisanal users, including hotels, gastronomy, chocolatiers, pastry chefs and bakers, and to partners in the food retailing industry for whom the Barry Callebaut Group produces branded, customer label and other consumer products.
In August 2002, Barry Callebaut added the Western European business of the German chocolate company Stollwerck AG with sales of approx. CHF 774m (EUR 530m) in fiscal 2001 to its Consumer Products activities. Stollwerck’s strengths lie in its range of well-recognized brands in the middle and premium market segments as well as in its customer label products. Approx. one third of the Consumer Products business unit’s sales is outside of Germany, consisting of customer label products for 7 out of the 10 world-leading food retailers as well as branded products sold under the Jacques, Alprose and Van Houten brands.