FDBusiness.com

Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli Group has strengthened its top level management with immediate effect. Andreas Pfluger, former member of the Extended Group Management, has been appointed as a member of the Group Management. At the same time, Thomas Linemayr has been promoted to the Extended Group Management. The moves are designed to ensure that the group has a broader and stronger management team, facilitating the growing internationalisation of the business.

Andreas Pfluger started his career at Lindt & Sprüngli in 1994 as marketing director of Lindt & Sprüngli Switzerland. Three years later, he took over as CEO for the newly founded subsidiary in Australia, where he was in charge of the successful expansion in this new market. In 2001, he was appointed CEO of Lindt & Sprüngli France and in 2005 moved on to become CEO of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in California. In 2011, he was appointed to the newly established Extended Group Management and in this function he took over responsibility at group level for the entire North American market as well as for Italy,Australia and China. In his new role as member of the Group Management, Andreas Pfluger will continue with his aforementioned responsibilities.

Thomas Linemayr started his career in the Lindt & Sprüngli Group in 1995 as marketing and sales director at the German subsidiary in Aachen. In 1999, he became CEO of Lindt & Sprüngli USA in Stratham, NH, where he made a significant contribution in building up the LINDT brand in the world’s biggest chocolate market. In the course of the very successful development of this market, the Stratham production site was repeatedly expanded to match the continuously rising demand for LINDT products. While Thomas Linemayr will continue to fulfill his position as CEO of Lindt & Sprüngli USA, he will from now on also assume strategic responsibility on top management level as a member of the Extended Group Management.

Lindt & Sprüngli is the worldwide leader in the premium chocolate segment and was founded more than 165 years ago in Zurich. Lindt & Sprüngli quality chocolate is manufactured in eight own production facilities in Europe and the US and is sold by 20 of the group’s own subsidiaries as well as a widespread network of independent distributors around the world. The Lindt & Sprüngli Group employs more than 8,000 people and achieved sales of SFr2.67 billion (Eur2.16 billion) in 2012.