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PARIS — The Consumer Goods Forum has elected Lars Olofsson, chief executive officer of Carrefour SA, and Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Co., as its new co-chairmen.
The Consumer Goods Forum has elected Lars Olofsson, chief executive officer of Carrefour SA, and Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Co., as its new co-chairmen.
Olofsson and Kent will both serve two-year terms. According to Jean-Marc Saubade, managing director of the Consumer Goods Forum, the election of high-profile executives from the retail and manufacturing sectors underscores the group’s commitment to cross-industry collaboration on the most important issues, including sustainability, consumer health and wellness, and food safety.
"Our consumers deserve the best possible response from retail and industry on the issues that resonate with them," Olofsson said in a statement. "We as an industry must move forward in a more collaborative, open and inclusive way. I am honored to join Muhtar Kent in leading the Consumer Goods Forum, in order to shape, with all its members, the future of our industry."
Kent commented, "The Consumer Goods Forum offers the industry the chance, finally, to come together on even terms and work in concert on the noncompetitive issues that affect all our companies. The forum delivers the concrete working tools, benchmarks and best practices we need to get this work done. It is also a highly effective way for us to stay connected and engaged with our many and varied stakeholders."
The Consumer Goods Forum is an independent global consumer goods network. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of more than 650 retailers, manufacturers, service providers and other stakeholders across 70 nations. The forum was formed in June 2009 through the merger of CIES (The Food Business Forum), the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI) and the Global CEO Forum. Its member companies have combined sales of 2.1 trillion euros ($2.6 trillion).