Will step down to focus on recovery from health issue
ForFarmers CEO Chris Deen will step down from his position at the company, effective February 1, 2023.
In September, ForFarmers reported that it had temporarily changed management as Deen was expected to be absent for an unknown period of time because of health reasons. It now says Deen has decided to step down to focus on his recovery.
Until the appointment of a new CEO, Chief Financial Officer Roeland Tjebbes and Chief Operating Officer Pieter Wolleswinkel will continue to assume the duties and responsibilities of the CEO.
Deen, 55, has been CEO of ForFarmers since July. Previously, he was CEO of Aviko, one of the four largest potato processors in the world and subsidiary of cooperative Royal Cosun. He has a degree in business economics and information management from Amsterdam University. He also attained a postgraduate degree as chartered accountant. He started his career in 1991 as accountant at EY. He moved to Sara Lee/Douwe Egberts in 1996, where he held various positions until 2010. These included chief financial officer (CFO) of Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems in the Netherlands and general manager of Sara Lee International Foodservice Iberia (Barcelona). Subsequently, Deen joined Bakkersland, at the time the largest bakery producer in the Netherlands, where he was CFO and CEO between 2012 and 2016. Prior to joining Aviko, he was chief operating officer (COO) and integration director at Euroma (products based on herbs and spices).
