Tomra Food has strengthened its leadership team as part of a commitment to deliver more effective sorting systems and technical support to industrial food processors around the world. The Leuven, Belgium-based company has appointed four new department heads in its Processed Food business division.
Two new senior managers have been appointed to the previously existing roles of head of global sales and head of service, and two new posts have been created for head of product management and head of people and organization. This increases the number of people in the senior management team from six to eight.
A member of the Asker, Norway-headquartered Tomra Systems ASA group, Tomra Processed Food’s sensor-based sorting, grading and peeling machines and integrated post-harvest systems are in operation around thew world. More than 12,800 units have been installed, many of them in frozen food processing plants that pack value-added potato products, fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood.
“The future of food processing will be more complex and sophisticated as we support our customers to increase yields and quality to meet growing demand. These changes will demand sensing and sorting technology innovations, artificially intelligent self-optimizing lines, and digitally connected data-driven support services,” said Ken Moynihan, chief executive officer of Tomra Processed Food. “We will be a leader in this transformation, ensuring our customers stay at the forefront of these exciting changes and opportunities, and operate at their full capability every hour, every day, all year round.”
He added: “We are going to move further and faster along our path from being a global technology provider to being a global solutions provider, leading the industry by creating new value for all our customers, and ensuring their plants run at maximum efficiency 24 hours per day, seven days per week.”
The new appointments were made with one internal promotion and three people from outside the food industry.
Karel Strubbe was promoted to head of global sales from the previous position as sales director for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Before that, he was sales director in the Americas and Oceania markets. The 14-year Tomra veteran started out as area sales manager in Brussels.
Vera Boon, new head of service at Tomra Processed Food, joined the team from Ingersoll Rand, a global company engaged in critical air, fluid, energy, specialty vehicle and medical technologies. Her background includes commercial operations as well as marketing, sales and service.
Kris De Smet, head of product management, has director-level experience in electronic security and video surveillance. He was previously video product management leader in the EMEA region for GE Security, a division of General Electric’s GE Enterprise Solutions acquired in 2010 by UTC Fire & Security. De Smet also served as ITC’s global product director for video operations.
Vanessa Sibenaler, head of people and organization, came on board from ITW, an American Fortune 200 company, where she was human resources director of Additives International, a division that manufactures and supplies specialty and innovative chemicals for the automotive aftermarket. Before that, Sibenaler was eastern hemisphere director of human resources for T.D. Williamson, a pipeline equipment and services company in the oil and gas industry.
