CEO and Deputy CEO
Fazer’s Board of Directors appoints and dismisses, if needed, the CEO, who is also the Group President. Under the requirements of the Finnish Companies Act, the CEO is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the company, in line with the instructions of the Board of Directors, and for ensuring that the company’s accounting is carried out in accordance with legal requirements and that the company’s financial management is handled appropriately. The CEO reports to the Board of Directors and informs the Board of Fazer’s operating environment, e.g. customers, competition and market situation and Fazer’s financial position and development. The CEO is supported by the Group Management Team and the Deputy CEO, who is nominated by the Board of Directors, when needed. Christoph Vitzthum is the CEO and President whereas Jouni Grönroos is the Deputy CEO.
Group Management Team
The Group Management Team consists of the CEO (Chairman), the Managing Directors (MD) of the Business Areas, and the Heads of certain Group functions. The duties of the Group Management Team are to support the CEO in his/her tasks and to draft propositions to the Board. The Group Management Team also e.g. coordinates operations across the Group and secures efficient operations on Group level. The current Group Management Team comprises Christoph Vitzthum (CEO & President, Chairman), Jouni Grönroos (CFO & Deputy CEO), Marko Bergholm (MD Fazer Bakery Finland), Markus Hellström (MD Fazer Confectionery), Sebastian Jägerhorn (EVP Legal & Compliance), Mats Liedholm (MD Fazer Lifestyle Foods), Ulrika Romantschuk (EVP Communications & Branding) and Lara Saulo (EVP, People & Transformation). Andreas Berggren (MD Fazer Food Services) was a member of the Group Management Team until 31.1.2020 when the sale of Fazer Food Services to Compass Group was closed. Marko Bergholm and Markus Hellström became members of the Group Management Team on 1 October 2020.
Fazer Group also has a Fazer Leadership Team. In addition to the members of the Group Management Team, Fazer Leadership Team also includes the Managing Director of Fazer Bakery Baltics Klavs Berzins, the Managing Director of Fazer Bakery Russia Vladimir Kalyavin, the Managing Director of Fazer Bakery Sweden Petri Kujala, the Managing Director of Fazer Retail Johan Rosenblom, VP, Marketing, Fazer Group Aaron Barsness, Head of Fazer Group Procurement Bengt Erlandsson and Managing Director of Commercial Units at Fazer Confectionery Tom Lindblad.