Danone names Jean-Philippe Pare as Executive Vice President, Research & Development

Jean-Philippe Paré, currently President of Kraft Foods France, will be taking up the position of Executive Vice President, Research and Development, with Danone on May 2, also becoming a member of the Executive Committee. He will replace Sven Thormahlen, who has decided to move on to a new professional challenge.

Heading up a staff of 1,200 scientists and specialized developers, Jean-Philippe Paré will be responsible for R&D serving all four Danone divisions (Fresh Dairy, Waters, Baby Nutrition and Medical Nutrition) and international research centers including the Daniel Carasso Center south of Paris and the Wageningen Center in the Netherlands.

Jean-Philippe Paré, aged 53, is a French citizen and a graduate of Paris business school ESCP. He began his career in marketing and sales with Danone's Fresh dairy product division in France, before moving on to LU France. In 1997, he was named General Manager of LU Spain, in 1999 General Manager of Bagley SA in Argentina, and then, in 2002, General Manager of HP Foods in the UK. In 2005, he was appointed General Manager of LU France and kept this position with Kraft Foods in 2007. He became President of Kraft Foods France in June 2010.

Commenting on this appointment, Bernard Hours, Co-Chief Operating Officer at Danone, said: "Under the leadership of Sven Thormahlen, Danone's R&D has significantly reinforced its structures and organization in recent years, at the same time gaining focus and consolidating both its expertise and scientific credibility in several key areas. This, in turn, has enabled it to play an essential role in our four business lines’ successful worldwide deployment of our strategy centered on health.

Sven has now decided to move on to other projects outside Danone, and it will be up to Jean-Philippe Paré to lead our R&D forward for a new stage in its development. His experience of international management and proven capacity for team development, his familiarity with innovation processes, and his in-depth understanding of international markets mean that he is well equipped to step up the pace in R&D, which is absolutely vital to our strategy for innovation and sustainable development. He will also be responsible for promoting our work in nutrition science, developing alliances and partnerships. On behalf of the entire Executive Committee, I would like to express our warmest thanks to Sven for his decisive contribution to progress in our R&D and wish him every success with his new plans."