CHICAGO — Cécile Béliot has been named chief executive officer of the Bel Group, while Antoine Fiévet will shift to chairman of the company, a separation of leadership responsibilities that paves the way for the Bel Group to better focus on its strategy of healthy snacking in dairy, fruit and vegetables.

The announcement comes a year after Fiévet detailed his intent to separate his roles as chairman and CEO.

In her new role as CEO, Béliot will be responsible for the deployment of the company’s vision and the management of its strategy and performance. In this capacity, she will continue, with the executive committee, the transformation of the company and the activation of its new levers for sustainable growth, including the acceleration of innovation, the strengthening of the Group's international positions (United States and China) and the continued development of the plant-based offerings, as a complement to the company’s fruit and dairy offerings. The Bel Group’s portfolio includes The Laughing Cow, Kiri, Babybel, Boursin, Nurishh, Pom’Potes and GoGo squeeZ.

Béliot most recently was group executive vice president since September 2018, and earlier she was executive vice president of strategy and growth. Prior to Bel Group she held management and marketing positions at Danone and earlier worked as a brand manager at Kraft Foods.

In his new role, Fiévet will work with the board to define the Bel Group's strategic vision and long-term ambitions, while remaining the guarantor of the family business' values.

“Governance is a strategic issue for companies,” said Florian Sauvin, chairman of the supervisory board of Unibel, the lead holding company of the Bel Group. “Separating chair and CEO positions will enable us to strengthen the project we are carrying out, by putting the most appropriate governance system at its service. I am delighted with this step, which will enable us to continue to nurture the long-term vision that has been at the heart of our family model for 150 years, and to pursue, thanks to Cécile Béliot's leadership and capacity for innovation, our transformation to become the leader in healthy snacking.”