Wessanen announced that it would appoint Frenchman Christophe Barnouin for CEO and simultaneously change its management structure. Barnouin, who currently heads Wessanen's French and Italian operations, will succeed Piet Hein Merckens. His nomination will be voted on the extraordinary shareholders meeting in the second half of January 2014.

The company will move to one-tier management structure that fits its growth targets. The change means that non-executive directors, or the current supervisory board, would receive more influence. The company will thus appoint its current chairman of the supervisory board Frans Koffrie as non-executive chairman in the one-tier structure.

Executives Rudy Kluiber, Ivonne Rietjens and Marjet van Zuijlen will also become non-executive chairman while Ronald Merckx will retain its position as financial director.