ZURICH — Former Mondelez International executive Thomas Gaengler has joined chocolate and cocoa supplier Barry Callebaut as chief operating officer.

With the appointment, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut has brought back the COO post after a nearly three-year absence. The company said that, in the role, Gaengler succeeded Clemens Woehrle, who was chief customer supply and development officer for almost three years.

Previously global chief procurement officer at Mondelez, Gaengler started as Barry Callebaut COO on Sept. 1.

Barry Callebaut noted that Gaengler, who also joined the company’s executive committee, brings more than 30 years of international leadership experience in supply chain, procurement and operations. He spent nearly 26 years at Mondelez, including the past four and a half years as global procurement chief. Before that, he was senior vice president of end-to-end supply chain for the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) and held roles as vice president of integrated supply chain for AMEA as well as for Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“I am delighted to welcome Thomas to Barry Callebaut,” said Hein Schumacher, who took the helm as CEO back in January. “Thomas will help lead the next phase of our journey, with a continued focus on customer-centricity, operational excellence and strengthening our position as the world’s leading chocolate and cocoa solutions partner. His global leadership experience in the sector and ability to build strong partnerships across the organization will be invaluable as we continue to execute our ‘Focus for Growth’ priorities.”

Woerhle came to Barry Callebaut as chief customer supply and development officer in October 2023 from WMF Group, a cookware and automatic coffee machine maker, where he was COO. Prior to that, he held vice president roles at Beiersdorf AG and managerial posts at Reckitt Benckiser. Currently on his LinkedIn page, Woerhle is listed as special advisor to the CEO at Barry Callebaut.