Back in May we told you how Campbell Soup Co. had hired former Lehman Brothers Inc. banker
Tarkan Gurkan as vice president of corporate development. Gurkan worked in the bank's global consumer and retail group. On Friday, we learned that he'll have a new boss, one who also has extensive international experience.
Craig Owens (pictured) will take over as CFO and chief administration officer at Campbell in October, and in addition to other duties, will oversee corporate development. Owens will replace Robert Schiffner, who is retiring. Owens was mostly recently CFO of Belgium food retailer Delhaize Group, owner of U.S. supermarket chains Food Lion, Hannaford and Sweet Bay. He also spent 20 years at Coca-Cola Co. and various Coca-Cola bottlers, serving at one point as chief executive of Coca-Cola Enterprise France.
Campbell has been active on the deal front in 2008. In July, t
he company acquired the Wolfgang Puck soup business from Country Gourmet Foods. In March, it sold its Godiva chocolate business to Turkish food company Yildiz Holdings AS for $815 million, and on May 13 completed the sale of its Australian salty snack brands, which includes the popular Kettle Chips, to a group of Australian investors. The deals are part of a strategic restructuring to shed noncore brands and bulk up on healthy soups.
- Suzanne Stevens
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