PETAH TIKVA, Israel – The Strauss Group continues rapid implementation of its strategy implementation program to improve the company’s organizational operating model and adapting it to the Group’s growth strategy and the changing economic and business environment. The change is based on several principles and decisions.
These include focusing Group investments in four geographical areas and concentrating Israel’s business units on consumers and communities while ensuring excellence in demand generation. The program also includes bringing together Israeli factories and the supply chain under one division, concentrating headquarters, building centers of excellence, flattening the organization, and reducing management layers.
As part of the program, Strauss Group CEO Shai Babad announced today further organizational structure changes and another round of appointments all from within the company. Raanan Kovalsky will be appointed CEO Strauss Israel and a part of the Strauss Group executive management team.
Over the past 25 years, Kovalsky has held a number of senior managerial positions at Strauss to ideally prepare him for his current position. He served over the past 4 years as CEO Strauss Dairies and prior to that as VP Sales, Strauss Israel.
In his new role, which will go into effect by March 1, 2023, Kovalsky will be responsible for the business, marketing and sales units in Israel. Raanan’s team will focus on developing excellence with the consumer, the market, and the retailer. Operations and supply chain will be managed in a separate specialized unit.
Yiftah Atzmon will be appointed CEO Strauss Dairies, replacing Kovalsky, and Eran Yarkoni will be appointed VP Sales, Strauss Israel, replacing Alon Sherff. The following managerial positions will remain unchanged: Tal Ben-Porat at the Confectionery Division, Ariella Weiss at Strauss Frito-Lay, and Avi Laufer at Strauss Coffee. The company will soon announce the appointment of a CEO for its Fresh Foods Division.
In addition, Strauss Group Deputy CEO Ronen Zohar was also named Chief Operations Officer (COO). Zohar has served in a wide variety of senior Group positions over the past three decades. Given the strategic importance of operations and supply chain and the desire to create professionalism and quality via a cross-organizational perspective, management of these areas, which will be led by Zohar, is being transferred to the Group’s board.
In addition to his duties as Deputy CEO, Zohar will be responsible for managing all operations, Israel’s supply chain, quality, food safety, and information systems, while optimizing expenses and investments. The unit will operate as a broad center of excellence for developing capabilities and tools that will eventually support Strauss’ global operations. Alon Sherff, who will be appointed VP Supply Chain, Sagi Ben Rimon, who will be appointed VP Operations, and Yoram Sadan, who will remain VP CIO and Digital, will report to Zohar. In the coming weeks, Zohar will appoint the Group’s head of quality and food safety.
Shai Babad, Strauss Group CEO: “This round of appointments is another stage in the Strauss growth strategy through which we will strengthen our focus on the ever-changing consumer, market and retailer. We will also invest in strengthening our excellence in operations, technology and supply chain. All of these moves will ideally position us to meet evolving needs, strengthen our business performance, and increase the value that Strauss creates for all of our stakeholders both in 2023 and beyond. We are proud that while adapting our organization to the future, we have created opportunities to develop our people, and all of our new appointments are being filled by managers within Strauss.”
