Peter Stahl, CEO of Germany-based cheesemaker Hochland Group, is to leave the business after 12 years in the top job and 24 years on the company’s board.
He will be replaced in the role next month by Sebastian Schaeffer, the company’s chief commercial officer.
Hochland, based in Heimenkirch in Bavaria and the owner of cheese brands including Hochland, Almette, Grünländer and Patros, did not go into detail about the reasons for Stah’s departure.
In a statement, the company said his exit was based on “recent differences in the understanding of leadership” with the majority of the company’s supervisory board. It said the decision for him to depart was by “mutual agreement”.
Just Food has asked Hochland for more details about Stahl’s departure.
Schaeffer will continue to be responsible for the commercial division once he is CEO. He moved to Hochdorf from Switzerland-based food group Hero and has been in charge of sales, marketing, R&D and innovation as a member of the executive board since January 2022.
CFO Hubert Staub and COO Josef Stitzl continue to complete the executive board of the business.
Hochland – a family-owned cheese manufacturer since 1927 – has customers in more than 30 countries. It has cheese production facilities in Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Romania, Russia, and the US.
It supplies major retailers and the foodservice channel.
