Kraft’s Smith moves over to strategic role

Phil Smith, Kraft Jacobs Suchard vice-president for cheese and grocery across the whole of Europe, has taken on a strategic development role at the food giant.

Smith, a former UK marketing director for Kraft General Foods, now becomes vice-president for strategy and development for KJS western Europe. This includes the French, German, Italian and Spanish markets, but no longer the UK. It does include responsibility for coffee and confectionery brands in the region, which means Toblerone, Milka chocolate and Jacobs Café among others.

Smith’s new role is the latest to emerge after the company restructure just before Christmas. At that time, its European operations were broken up into western Europe, headed by president Roger Deromedi, northern Europe including the UK, led by executive vice-president Ronald Bell, and middle east/eastern Europe with Bernard Hubert in charge.

Raymond Viault, who was in charge of the whole of Europe, left the company to become vice chairman of General Mills.

Smith has worked for KJS since 1986. KJS was formed in 1993, a month before Smith was promoted to his category director role, by the merger of Kraft General Foods and Jacobs Suchard.

Following last year’s leakage of its confidential internal memo on promotional cuts, P&G sets the record straight for Marketing Week readers