Senior appointments at Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Beneo

New CEO at the Ellen McArthur Foundation

The Ellen McArthur Foundation has appointed Jonquil Hackenberg as its new chief executive to replace CEO Andrew Molet, who depart after 10 years in the role.

She joins the foundation from PA Consulting, where she was global head of sustainability and climate response.

Commenting on her appointment, Hackenberg said: “I have spent the best part of my career working to ensure circularity, climate response, and sustainability are at the forefront of business strategy. I couldn’t be more excited to lead the Foundation at such a critical moment. ​

“The shift to a regenerative, circular economy is no longer just a vision — it’s happening. Andrew has built an exceptional organisation and I look forward to working alongside inspiring individuals, partners, and changemakers to accelerate this transition, and together build a future in which business, society, and nature thrive.”​

Over the last decade the Foundation has mobilised stakeholders across industries to embrace circular economy solutions to address global challenges such as plastic pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

Last year saw the group launch the Big Food Redesign Challenge in partnership with the Sustainable Food Trust. The challenge tasked participants to design new food products – or redesign existing ones – using circular design principles.

Successful pitches will land themselves shelf space in Waitrose stores across the country, with participants given access to a ‘bespoke challenge platform’ to support pre-competitive collaboration and networking.

Hackenberg’s first high-profile engagement will be at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2025, where she will be joined by Ellen MacArthur and her team to continue to reinforce the Foundation’s mission to drive systemic change toward a circular economy.

Dame Ellen MacArthur added: “It’s with great excitement that we welcome Jonquil as our new CEO. She is a strong and charismatic leader with a proven track record of engaging diverse organisations in driving systems change across industries. Her passion for developing people, along with a talent for building partnerships that accelerate impact, makes her the perfect person to lead us forward.  ​

“At the same time, I want to use this opportunity to thank Andrew. His leadership has been nothing short of inspiring and his vision and dedication have set us on an incredible path. We’re deeply grateful for everything he’s done and for the legacy he leaves behind.”​

Beneo appoints sales director for EMEA

Functional ingredients manufacturer Beneo has announced the appointment of Imen Ouerdiane as sales director EMEA.

In her role, Ouerdiane will lead the company’s sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa from Beneo’s site in Tienen, Belgium.

Ouerdiane holds an engineering degree in Food Science and has more than 20 years’ experience in the food industry. Her career began at Danone in research and development, following which she held roles as quality manager at Agrana and various sales positions at Puratos in France.

Most recently, Ouerdiane was positioned as global account manager at ingredients and flavours manufacturer Frulact.

Her new role at Beneo will see her leading and expanding the company’s business in EMEA. This will include Beneo’s ‘home markets’ of Germany and the Benelux region, Northern and Southern Europe, as well as the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

“I am very happy to join the Beneo team,” said Ouerdiane. “The company is a leading player for plant-based functional ingredients worldwide and I very much look forward to supporting our customers in EMEA and helping them reach their goals by providing them with quality solutions. ​

“With the company’s nutritional know-how and technical expertise, I am more than confident that we will be able to grow together, as these markets hold fantastic opportunities for Beneo.”​

Meanwhile, Kraft Heinz has announced the appointment of Michiel de Jonge as its new vice president of operations for Europe and Pacific Developed Markets (EPDM).​​