Milcobel’s Board of Directors announced that Peter Grugeon will be appointed as the dairy cooperative’s new Chief Executive Officer effective June 1.
With Peter Grugeon, Milcobel brings in a highly experienced manager. His extensive expertise in the agrifood and dairy sector, and great affinity with dairy farming make him the suitable candidate for the position of CEO within Milcobel.
After graduating as a bioengineer (specialization food technology & microbiology), Peter started working as a process & project engineer at Vandemoortele. He then held various management positions both domestically and internationally at Greenyard, Puratos and Vandemoortele, among others. He was also the first external CEO of the family dairy company Inex, where he carried out a thorough transformation. After an interim move to label company MCC, Peter now returns to the dairy sector.
President Betty Eeckhaut said, “Peter’s dairy experience is a strong asset. He understands the challenges facing both dairy farming and the dairy sector today. Thanks to his diverse functions, Peter has a good understanding of the complexity of the entire chain and brings not only commercial but also operational experience. We also notice a great eagerness to get to work at Milcobel and to make a success of the planned reorganization, as well as to strongly anchor the company and the cooperative in the future. He is the right person who will bring calm on the one hand, but will also take courageous decisions on the other. Peter’s people-oriented approach also appeals to us. He is someone who seeks connection, with both the member suppliers and the employees and the outside world. He is a bridge builder. The Board of Directors is delighted to write the next chapter of Milcobel with Peter Grugeon.”
CEO Peter Grugeon: “I am very excited about my return to the dairy and agri-food sector. This is where my passion lies. I believe very strongly in the cooperative ideology and want to make it a success together with all members and employees. With respect for each other. As far as I am concerned, we must run a cooperative like a family business. We must turn over every stone to ensure that we ultimately achieve a good bottom-line result and make sufficient profit to actually offer our members that added value. A market-based milk price is the basis for this. But if we also want to give back more to our members, this is only possible if we are an efficient organization, where we strive to maximize our result just like any other company. That means not only thinking in the short term, but also in the medium and long term. In the past, I have focused strongly on things like continuous improvement, operational excellence, attention to quality, safety, but also strategically doing the right things and seeking added value in sales and value-added products. Daring to make choices is part of that. That will also come in handy in Milcobel. I accept the challenge with both hands.”
Meeting with members at the General Membership Meetings
At the end of May, Milcobel, as is its annual custom, is organizing the General Members’ Circle Meetings in all its member circles. Peter Grugeon will be there in person to immediately enter into dialogue with Milcobel members. The ideal opportunity for cooperators to get to know the new CEO right from the start.
