The German green coffee services giant will no longer manage global operations from its Hamburg headquarters and has introduced new CEO roles for the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA in a bid to strengthen regional market leadership
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NKG Board of Directors: Chief People Officer Maren Uzarek (left), Chief Financial officer Justin Schulze-Smidt (centre) and NKG Group CEO David M. Neumann Group (right) | Photo credit: NKG
Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) will open new regional headquarters in the Americas and Asia Pacific to oversee operations in these regions. Meanwhile, the German green coffee giant’s current global headquarters in Hamburg will now manage the Europe, The Middle East and Africa (EMEA) markets.
From February 2025, the offices will be led by three regional CEOs and will serve as hubs for decision-making, collaboration and strategic development tailored to their respective markets. NKG’s Americas office will be based in the US and led by Neumann Gruppe USA CEO Nicolas Rueda Latiff. The Asia Pacific division will be managed by Ruben Scholz, who is transitioning from Group Chief Operating Officer at the end of January 2025 to lead the operations from Singapore. The EMEA region will fall under the remit of NKG Group CEO David M. Neumann.
In a press release, sustainability-focused NKG said the ‘strategic realignment’ will secure resilience, market leadership and sustainable growth in an increasingly complex global trading environment.
“By enacting real regional empowerment and rethinking how we work, we are building a stronger, more dynamic organisation poised to navigate future challenges and opportunities. We are moving closer to our business; we are opening for talent where talent is and are moving away from our traditional setup with a very dominant centre,” said Neumann.
NKG’s Board of Directors will also reduce from eight members to three – Neumann, Group Chief People Officer Maren Uzarek and Group Chief Financial Officer Justin Schulze-Smidt. Together with the regional CEOs, they will also form a new NKG Executive Board.
NKG currently operates more than 60 business units across 28 countries globally, providing a range of services and products along the green coffee value chain – including farming, imports and exports, logistics, warehousing and quality control.