Transformation of legal structure – personnel changes

Following the successful squeeze-out of its German subsidiary Stollwerck AG and the delisting of the shares on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, Stollwerck AG will now be fully integrated into Barry Callebaut AG. The Supervisory Board has been renewed with members of the Senior Management Team of Barry Callebaut AG. The members who do not belong to the executive management of Barry Callebaut AG – Dr. Johann Christian Jacobs, Andreas Schmid and Gustav Adolf Schroeder – have resigned from their positions with explicit thanks for their valuable contribution to the further development of the company and their many years of service. Patrick De Maeseneire (previous board member), CEO of Barry Callebaut AG, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Supervisory Board; Dieter Enkelmann (newly appointed member), CFO of Barry Callebaut AG, has been appointed as the deputy chairman of the Supervisory Board. Additional appointees to the Supervisory Board are Johann Van Der Sijpe (Barry Callebaut Belgium N.V.) and Matthias Ortmann (Chocolaterie Jacques S.A.). Randolf Bollenbach and Bernd Jebsen remain on the Supervisory Board as representatives of the Works Council.

Stollwerck AG will be transformed into a limited liability company (GmbH) as part of the further integration into the Barry Callebaut Group. This marks the end of the mandate of Stollwerck AG’s Board of Management. In view of this development, Stefan von Klebelsberg, Chairman of the Board of Management of Stollwerck AG and a member of the Senior Management Team at Barry Callebaut AG, and Volkmar Taucher, so far Chief Financial Officer at Stollwerck AG, have decided to leave the company upon conclusion of the legal transformation, which is expected to take place in the early summer. Stefan von Klebelsberg was instrumental in driving the restructuring process of Stollwerck AG. The Board of Directors of Barry Callebaut AG and the Supervisory Board of Stollwerck AG wish to formally thank Stefan von Klebelsberg and Volkmar Taucher for the services rendered. The function of Stefan von Klebelsberg in the Senior Management Team of Barry Callebaut as President of the Consumer Products Europe business unit will be assumed by Onno Bleeker, up to now Chief Operations Officer, who will be succeeded by Dirk Poelman, up to now head of Technical Services/Fundamental R&D. Ludwig Pausenberger (Barry Callebaut Belgium N.V.) takes on the finance function.

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Barry Callebaut:
With annual sales of more than CHF 4 billion for fiscal year 2003/04, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa, chocolate and confectionery products – from the cocoa bean to the finished product on the store shelf. Barry Callebaut operates more than 30 production facilities in 22 countries and employs a workforce of approx. 8,700. The company serves the entire food industry, from food manufacturers to professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), to global retailers. Barry Callebaut also provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing.