illycaffè appoints Cristina Scocchia as new chief executive officer
Image courtesy of cristinascocchia.it
The board of directors of illycaffè has appointed Cristina Scocchia as the company’s new CEO, effective 1 January 2022.
Scocchia, a member of illycaffè’s board since 2019, will take the reins from Massimiliano Pogliani, who first joined illy six years ago as the first outside CEO to manage the family-owned business. He ran the global organisation for two consecutive three-year mandates starting in 2016. Pogliani will remain in his role until 31 December 2021.
In announcing the executive change, the company stated that in view of the bullish capital markets and the desire to start a stock listing process, in addition to Pogliani’s interest in pursuing other professional opportunities, the board agreed to bring forward the expiry date of his second term to ensure cohesive management for the entire 2022 financial year.
As illycaffè’s first CEO from outside the illy family, Pogliani contributed to the company’s growth, especially in household consumption within portioned coffee segment and in online sales, as well as realising sustainability achievements and results confirmed by obtaining B-Corp certification.
“With Rhône’s minority stake acquisition in our company this year, Massimiliano Pogliani completed a process of managerial development at illycaffè that he was appointed to accomplish in his role since 2016”, said Andrea Illy, chairman of Trieste, Italy-based illycaffè. “I thank him for his work, and I particularly appreciate his leadership that allowed the company to be resilient during the pandemic including growth in the digital and food channels. For the new expansion cycle that will start in 2022 and in view of a future stock listing, we decided to entrust the leadership to Cristina Scocchia, a talented manager recognised in the development of brands with high aesthetic and experiential content.”
With a degree in business and economics from Bocconi University in Milan and a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Turin, Cristina Scocchia has been CEO of Kiko SpA since July 2017. Previously she worked at Procter & Gamble, holding positions of increasing responsibility, and at L’Oréal Italia, where she held the positions of CEO and chairwoman. She is also a member of the board of directors of Essilor Luxottica.
The announcement of Scocchia as the new CEO follows a series of strategic moves and corporate changes that have taken place within illycaffè over the last year. In November 2020, the company announced it sold a minority stake of illycaffè to affiliates of Rhône Capital, a global private equity firm with a focus on investments in businesses with pan-European, North American or transatlantic presence. In April of this year, illycaffè became the first Italian coffee company to obtain the B Corp certification, awarded to companies that meet the highest standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and responsibility. B-Corp certified companies operate to optimise their positive impact on employees, their communities, and the environment.
Additionally, illycaffè named Jack Edwards president of New York-based illy North America, effective 19 April. He succeeded Barry Shelton, who spent 18 years with the company.
illycaffè also announced that the 6th Annual Ernesto illy International Coffee Awards, which the company bestows upon the best producer of sustainable coffee, will take place 2 December, virtually for the second year in a row.
