Mondelēz International has announced the appointment of Volker Kuhn as executive vice president and president, Europe, effective April 1, 2025.
Kuhn, reporting directly to chair and chief executive Dirk Van de Put, will replace Vinzenz Gruber, who has announced his retirement from the company, also effective April 1, 2025. Kuhn will join the organisation on January 6, 2025, partnering with Gruber to ensure a smooth transition.
“On behalf of Team Mondelēz, and especially our European colleagues, I’d like to thank Vince for his strong leadership and passionate dedication in driving commercial and operational excellence, consumer loyalty, and employee development,” Van de Put said.
“With Vince at the helm, we have advanced core brands including Cadbury, Milka and Oreo across Europe, while expanding into exciting adjacencies such as snack bars, cakes and pastries – setting up the business for continued growth and success. We wish him the very best in retirement.”
Kuhn joins Mondelēz from Reckitt’s hygiene business, its largest global unit, where he delivered top- and bottom-line performance acceleration. Earlier, he served as Reckitt’s chief transformation officer.
Before Reckitt, Kuhn spent 26 years with Procter & Gamble, leading several critical growth accelerations, turnarounds and business transformations across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa.
He led the successful carve-out and divestiture of Duracell from P&G to Berkshire Hathaway.
His experience spans multiple consumer products categories, including 10 years leading the Pringles Snacks division in Europe, as well as expertise across disciplines including finance, brand marketing, business development and general management.
“We’re delighted to welcome Volker Kuhn to our Mondelēz International family,” Van de Put said. “His breadth and depth of international consumer packaged goods experience, coupled with his track record of impressive results and leadership impact, position him well to accelerate growth in our European region while continuing to strengthen consumer loyalty to our iconic brands.”
Kuhn also serves as chairman and a non-executive board member of FROSTA AG, a leading European frozen food company. He is fluent in German, English, and French, and holds dual German and Swiss citizenship.
