New CEO Named for Barilla Group

Barilla Group Names New CEO Claudio Colzani, who has served as CEO of Barilla for over 10 years, focusing the company's efforts on ensuring people's access to good and sustainable food, will hand over leadership to Gianluca Di Tondo. Claudio Colzani, who has spearheaded major international projects at the group, notably in sustainability and global gender equality initiatives, will transfer his duties to Gianluca Di Tondo in April 2023. The food giant, which produces goods at 30 facilities worldwide including its factory in Bolu, Turkey, and reaches millions of tables daily in over 100 countries, will undergo a leadership transition, it was announced. Claudio Colzani, who has served as CEO of Barilla for over 10 years, adopting the company's mission of "Eating Well for a Better Life" — expressing people's happiness and holistic wellbeing — and aiming to help improve consumers' lives and the world, will step down from his position. [caption id="attachment_146195" align="aligncenter"] Gianluca Di Tondo[/caption] Claudio Colzani, who has implemented major international projects at the group, particularly in sustainability and global gender equality initiatives, will hand over his responsibilities to Gianluca Di Tondo in April 2023, an experienced figure in the food and beverage sector and currently serving as Vice President of Marketing at the group. In a statement regarding the transition, Barilla Group Chairman Guido Barilla thanked Claudio Colzani for his significant contribution to the group's growth during his 10 years in office, saying: "Claudio Colzani took visionary steps on behalf of Barilla's future, a company that has accompanied many generations' meals for 145 years. While achieving major international developments, he also made significant investments in sustainability efforts. During his more than 10-year leadership, numerous improvements were made across many areas, innovations were introduced, and transformations were implemented. Under Colzani's leadership, we became the first Italian company to win the prestigious 'Catalyst Award' for our work in achieving global gender equality. In the coming year, we will take the first step of our next 145-year journey with Gianluca Di Tondo. In recent years, purchasing behaviors, work models, and distribution channels have changed. We aim to be at the center of this transformation and, for this purpose, we are opening a window to the world so that we can respond as effectively as possible to people's needs. With his vision and experience, Gianluca Di Tondo will lead the necessary transformation process to make our company even more competitive on the international stage."

Gianluca Di Tondo, expressing that he is honored to take on such a significant responsibility following Claudio Colzani's 10-year tenure as CEO at Barilla, continued as follows:

"There will be three priorities I will focus on in my new role at Barilla, a company that renews itself every year, improves its processes, and pursues its goals alongside its stakeholders. The first is to further strengthen our brands in Italy and elevate worldwide the concept of 'enjoying food,' an Italian tradition that we already offer through our brands. While continuing to preserve and develop our values and diversity, strengthening our employees' sense of belonging, attracting new talent, and ensuring that all our consumers worldwide recognize Barilla as the 'most trusted food company' will be among my main priorities."   Gianluca Di Tondo has over 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Throughout his career, he has held positions focused on sales and marketing. Joining Barilla Group in 2020 as Senior Marketing Executive, Tondo led the creation of the Barilla Al Bronzo series as part of a new category strategy. Managing the new logo launch processes for the Barilla and Mulino Bianco brands, Gianluca Di Tondo pioneered the establishment of the Barilla Acceleration Team in London, positioned as a center of excellence for digital skills development and advanced analytics. Gianluca also played an important role in the acquisition of Pasta Evangelists, whose Board Chairmanship he subsequently assumed.