4. Group Management

4.1. Member of the Group Management

As at 31 December 2016, the Group Management consisted of Dr Thomas Eisenring (CEO), Marcel Gavillet (CFO), Christoph Peternell (COO), Werner Schweizer (Managing Director Dairy Ingredients), Fons Togtema (Managing Director Baby Care), Michel Burla (Managing Director Cereals & Ingredients), Frank Hoogland (Head Global Marketing and Sales) and Dr Karl Gschwend (Managing Director Strategic Projects).

4.2. Professional background and other activities and interests

Dr Thomas Eisenring

1965; Swiss citizen; Place of residence: Winterthur ZH Function: CEO since 2013. Training/degree: Mechanic, Dr. oec. University of St. Gallen. Professional background: 1985 to 1991 aircraft mechanic, Swissair, Zurich airport; 1993 to 1997 senior consultant, Schuh & Co. Complexity Management, St. Gallen; 1998 to 2000 interim regional manager (Rhine/Ruhr), Peiniger Group, Leverkusen, Germany; 2000 to 2002 Director in the field of Business Regeneration Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Zurich; 2002 to 2008 Chairman of the Board of Directors, CEO and Head of Sales SEVEX AG, Sevelen; 2008 to 2013 member of the executive management and principal partner of ZIFRU Trockenprodukte GmbH, Zittau, Germany. Other activities: Chairman of the Boards of Directors of all HOCHDORF subsidiaries in Switzerland and of HOCHDORF Baltic Milk UAB; Managing Director of Uckermärker Milch GmbH, Prenzlau, Germany and of Marbacher Ölmühle GmbH, Marbach, Germany. Chairman of the foundation board of the HOCHDORF Group pension fund. Since 2016, Advisory Board member of Hess Natur-Textilien GmbH, Butzbach, Germany.

Marcel Gavillet

1962; Swiss citizen; Place of residence: Retschwil LU. Function: CFO since 2003. Training/degree: University of applied sciences FH; MAS Corporate Finance; Certified IFRS Accountant. Professional background: 1996 to 1999 Head of Finance and Accounting at Nutriswiss AG, Lyss, then Managing Director from 1999 to 2003. Other activities: Active as member of the Board of Directors of the subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad; Managing Director of the HOCHDORF Group pension fund.

Christoph Peternell

1965, German citizen; Place of residence: Zug, Konstanz, Germany. Function: COO since June 2015. Training/degree: Graduate food engineer (Diplom) at the University of Hohenheim, Germany. Professional background: 1994 to 2005 Head of the Production Unit and member of the extended management, Molda AG, Germany; 2005 to 2008 Managing Director Plant Operations and Head of Plant Operations, Fresh Start Bakeries INC., Germany; 2008 to 2015 various national and international mandates as independent interim operations manager of food enterprises. Other activities: None.

Michel Burla

1967; Swiss citizen; Place of residence: Lyss BE. Function: Managing Director Cereals & Ingredients since 2013. Training/degree: Studies in natural sciences, degree in microbiology, University of Basel. Professional background: 1995 to 1998 Product and Sales Manager Switzerland, BioConcept, Allschwil; 1998 to 2003 Sales Manager EMEA, Flachsmann, Wädenswil; 2003 to 2008 Business Unit Manager and member of Group Management, Frutarom, Wädenswil; 2008 to 2010 Marketing Manager Food Ingredients, Univar, Zurich; 2010 to 2013 Manager Business Support and Business Development, Narimpex, Biel. Other activities: Managing Director of Marbacher Ölmühle GmbH.

Dr Karl W. Gschwend

1953, Swiss citizen; Place of residence: Altnau TG. Function: Managing Director Strategic Projects since 1998. Training/degree: Studies in natural sciences at ETH Zurich; doctorate at the Institute for Biotechnology at ETH Zurich in 1982; SKU (Swiss Courses in Enterprise Management), diploma in strategic business management. Professional background: 1983 to 1986 Head of the Biological Equipment Construction department, Giovanola Frères SA, Monthey; 1986 to 1997 Management of Obipektin AG, Bischofszell; 1998 to 2003 Plant Manager HOCHDORF Nutritec Ltd, Hochdorf; 2003 to 2005 Managing Director of Switzerland. Milchgesellschaft AG, Sulgen; 2006 to 2014 Managing Director of HOCHDORF Nutritec Ltd; since 2015 Managing Director Strategic Projects. Other activities: 2002 to 2011 Chairman of the Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology (SGLWT); 2010 to 2011 Chairman of the Society of Milk Science; advisor of the Institute of Food and Beverage Innovation of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Wädenswil; Officer in charge of coordinating the scientific research of the HOCHDORF Group; 2015: Industrial Advisory Board, Dept. of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST) ETH Zurich.

Frank Hoogland

1972, Dutch citizen; Place of residence: Horgen ZH; Function: Managing Director Baby Care, since January 2017. Training/degree: MAS in Business Economics with major in marketing & marketing research at Tilburg University, Netherlands. Professional background: Product Business Manager, Philips N.V., Netherlands, until 2001; 2001 to 2003 Manager Private Label, Laurus N.V. (retail), Netherlands; 2003 to 2007 International Marketing Manager, Friesland Foods N.V., Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa; 2007 to 2012 Marketing Director, Hero AG, Benelux and China; 2012 to 2015 Business Development Director Infant Formula, Fonterra in China; 2015 to 2016 Head of Global Marketing & Sales, HOCHDORF Swiss Nutrition Ltd, Switzerland. Other activities: None.

Werner Schweizer

1955; Swiss citizen; Place of residence: Kriens LU. Function: Managing Director Dairy Ingredients since 2006. Training/degree: Studies in food sciences at ETH Zurich, awarded dipl. LM Ing. ETH Zurich in 1979; SKU (Swiss Courses in Enterprise Management), diploma in strategic business management in 2009. Professional background: 1979 to 1982 specialist teacher at the dairy science school Sursee; 1983 to 1987 Nestec, Head of Production Nestlé Lanka, Sri Lanka; 1988 to 1990 Laiteries Réunies de Genève, Head of QM and E&A; 1991 to 1997 QM Schweizer & Stierli AG, Partner, Lucerne; 1998 to 2005 Head of Marketing Industry/Head of Business Segment Milk HOCHDORF Nutritec Ltd. Other activities: Board member of the Swiss Milk Industry Association (vmi); Board member of the Milk Sector Organisation; Managing Director of HOCHDORF Baltic Milk UAB.

Fons Togtema

1964; Dutch citizen; Place of residence: Retschwil LU; Function: Chief Sales Officer, since January 2017; Training/degree: Agricultural engineer with major in economics at the University of Prof Education, Netherlands. Professional background: 1997 to 1998 Commercial Director Europe, Universal Dehydrates (now Sensinent Technologies Corp.), France; 1998 to 2000 Business Unit Director Benelux, Schering Plough Animal Health, Netherlands/Belgium; 2000 to 2006 Manager Business Development, Infant Nutrition, FrieslandCampina, Netherlands; 2006 to 2015 Sales Director Baby Care, HOCHDORF Swiss Nutrition Ltd, Switzerland; 2015 to 2016 Managing Director Baby Care, HOCHDORF Swiss Nutrition Ltd, Switzerland. Other activities: Member of the Board of Directors of HOCHDORF Americas Ltd.


Pursuant to Article 24 of the Articles of Association, the maximum number of additional mandates that the members of the Group Management hold is: 

  1. One mandate as board member or as member of other top executive or governing bodies of public companies pursuant to Art. 727 (1) no. 1 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO); and additionally
  2. Three mandates as board member or member of other top executive or governing bodies of companies within the meaning of Art. 727 (1) no. 2 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO); and additionally
  3. Five mandates as board member or member of other top executive or governing bodies of other legal entities that do not meet the aforementioned criteria.