Beneo appoints new CEO and chief sales officer

An industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the international ingredients industry, Roques joins the business from Agrana Fruit Europe, where he previously served as chief executive.

Roques started his career in the dairy and flavour industries, followed by more than twenty years in leadership roles in the USA and Europe at Agrana Fruit. This included positions in sales, food safety and quality and new product development.

Dual role

In addition to his role as CEO, he will also be responsible for overseeing all sales and marketing as Beneo’s chief sales officer, succeeding Dominic Speleers.

Commenting on his appointment, Roques said: “I’m really looking forward to working with the people and products of Beneo. The portfolio supports the company’s purpose to contribute to better nutrition and health. We will continue to create strategic partnerships with our customers around the globe and adapt to their market needs.​

“Our customers value both the sound science supporting our ingredients, as well as the expert know-how and quality we offer them along the entire value chain. I have found a great group of colleagues eager to accelerate our development in that direction, giving me confidence that Beneo will further strengthen this unique chain of expertise to support our customers’ products.”​

Sustainability investment

Roques’ appointment followed the installation of a new heat pump at Beneo’s site in Wijgmaal, Belgium​​ that will enable energy to be recovered from waste water, dropping the manufacturer’s CO2 emissions significantly.

Roland Vanhoegaerden, the operations managing director for specialty rice ingredients at Beneo said the investment represented an important sustainability milestone for the business.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Weetabix parent company Post Holdings appointed a new managing director​​ for the cereal brand as it named a new leader of its refrigerated retail unit.

Current commercial director Colm O’Dwyder will succeed Sally Abbott as managing director for the manufacturer effective 1 October. Abbot will transition to as strategic advisor role through her planned retirement on 31 March 2025.