Former Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) CFO is credited with overseeing JDE Peet’s 2019 merger as well as its successful IPO in May 2020, and is due to replace outgoing CEO Casey Keller on 7 September 2020
Fabien Simon (right) at the Euronext Amsterdam bell ringing ceremony on 29 May 2020 | Photo: Business Wire
The new appointment follows
JDE Peet’s strong half-year results during an extraordinarily challenging year due to the global pandemic. Outgoing CEO Casey Keller is said to be returning to the US for personal reasons after his family were unable to relocate with him to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where JDE Peet’s is headquartered, because of Covid-19 disruption.
“No one knows this business better than Fabien,” said Olivier Goudet, Chairman of JDE Peet’s and CEO & Managing Partner of JAB Holdings. “Not only did Fabien lead the
successful IPO of JDE Peet’s, he oversaw the very creation of JDE and its transformation into a global coffee & tea powerhouse.”
Goudet added that outgoing CEO Keller had “demonstrated remarkable leadership and great results amidst an extraordinary operating environment.”
Simon is a French national who has been based in Amsterdam since 2014. He is credited with overseeing JDE Peet’s successful IPO on the Amsterdam stock exchange in May 2020, when many businesses globally were still in lockdown, raising €2.58bn ($3bn) in what remains Europe’s largest IPO of 2020.
In addition to his CFO role at Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Simon has held positions at Keurig Dr Pepper and Krispy Kreme. Prior to working with JAB Holdings, he spent 13 years at Mars in financial positions, including as Asia-Pacific CFO.
“It is a privilege to lead this company into its next phase of growth, building on our unique portfolio of brands, products and channels to meet the needs of our customers and capitalise on the myriad opportunities to gain market share in coffee and tea globally,” Simon said.