Arnauld Demoulin started as SVP, Business Area Customer Brands and member of the Paulig Leadership Team in September. He is based in Roeselare, Belgium, where he focuses on Tex Mex production and seeing the new Tex Mex production facility come to completion.
During the first weeks at Paulig, Arnauld Demoulin felt very welcome and was impressed by the energy and drive of his colleagues.
Named as SVP, Business Area Customer Brands and member of the Paulig Leadership Team on September 7, 2020, Demoulin is grateful and proud to be part of the team and to have the opportunity to join his new colleagues in developing the success story of Paulig into the future.
Paulig’s Customer Brands Business Area is known for the Poco Loco brand and for the excellent know-how in private label manufacturing. In the heart of Europe, in Belgium, Paulig produces tasty snacks, tortillas and salsa dips and employs over 600 people
Paulig currently has four Tex Mex production facilities in Europe, two of them in Roeselare, Belgium. A new plant is to be built next to the existing production site and the high-bay warehouse in Roeselare. Production should start at the new plant in the spring of 2022.
At Paulig, Demoulin’s objective is to continue building the future of Customer Brands within Paulig over the long term. First, he will be focusing on consolidating Paulig’s market leadership in Tex Mex, increasing cooperation between different functions and countries within the Paulig Group and working on the completion of the new plant in Roeselare.
Joining a family-owned business with long-term plans
Demoulin’s international experience in both branded and private label products and strong commercial background is bound to be highly relevant at Paulig.
He has more than 25 years of experience in FMCG companies. One of his previous workplaces includes Ontex, which is a company producing personal hygiene products. He helped the company make the transition from private label products to strong retail brands. During this time, he also became aware of Poco Loco as another key player in the private label business.
As soon as he heard about the vacancy at Paulig, his interest was piqued. Demoulin appreciates the fact that the approach of the company thinks and plans long term – Paulig has been operating since 1876 and is owned by the Paulig family, so a strategic approach is part of the group’s culture.
Paulig also deserves top marks from Demoulin for its corporate governance: the clearly defined structures determine Paulig's sound and efficient management procedures and the way in which these are reported to the Board and owners.
In addition, Paulig’s market position, not only regarding coffee but also Tex Mex products, is something Demoulin considers very appealing.
Demoulin also sees that sustainability is an important factor in terms of the environment, responsible purchasing as well as caring for the people who work for the company.
Lastly, working in a company that has a high level of technical expertise and continues to make investments is a source of real added value for him. An example of this would be that Paulig recently announced that €45 million is being invested in the new plant in Roeselare.
Maintaining Paulig’s position as a leading producer of Tex Mex products in Europe
The first thing that Demoulin will be focusing on at Paulig is consolidating Paulig’s market leadership in Tex Mex, both with the company’s branded products and with its customer brands.
He sees that with customer brands, there is an opportunity to move towards strong retail brands, which offers real added value to their customers and helps to shape the Tex Mex product category.
He also thinks that people at Paulig can learn a great deal from each other within the group's various business areas and functions. He is firmly committed to working together, focusing on results and being personally involved. According to him, it is impossible for anyone to achieve extraordinary results on their own.
Lastly, he will see the new plant at Roeselare come to completion. Until the plant is operational, his job also involves making the most efficient use of the available capacity.
Career: Demoulin has had a long career in various executive positions at Procter & Gamble and Ontex, where he contributed to the development of Ontex customers’ brands from “private/white labels” to strong retail brands and to operational excellence in Europe and Australia. Most recently he led Van Genechten Packaging, a mid-sized family-owned packaging company in Europe.
Family: Wife and three children. Demoulin’s family is truly cosmopolitan: his wife is Irish and their family lives in Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Ireland.
Motto: Believe in the power of people and teams
Languages: Demoulin comes from French-speaking Belgium but he also speaks Dutch and English.