Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC [NYSE: WBD] today announced that the
contract of its Chief Executive Officer, Tony Maher, has been extended
until 2014.
Sergey Plastinin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wimm-Bill-Dann,
said: "Tony’s executive leadership ensured that we got through the
recent financial downturn with enhanced profitability and strengthened
market leadership, a better product mix and reinvigorated brands. Under
Tony Wimm-Bill-Dann has reached a new stage of development – a
transition from rapid geographic expansion to building sustainable and
long-term market leadership. When Tony first joined us, he articulated a
clear vision for carrying out this transition. He has consistently
delivered on this vision and we believe he is the right person to
continue to lead Wimm-Bill-Dann going forward.”
Tony Maher, CEO of Wimm-Bill-Dann, commented: "The last four and a half
years have been among the most productive and satisfying of my career
and I look forward to the forthcoming challenges and opportunities.
Going forward, I believe we have put the right strategy in place to
expand our market leadership, further reduce costs and make
Wimm-Bill-Dann a truly global FMCG player with top ratios for our
industry. It is a privilege to continue to lead our remarkable team as
the Russian economy rebounds and new opportunities and challenges
emerge.”
Some of the information contained in this press release may contain
projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events
or the future financial performance of Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC, as
defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these
statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may
differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements to
conform them to actual results. We refer you to the documents
Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC files from time to time with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically, the Company's most
recent Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important
factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk
Factors" in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ
materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking
statements, including, among others, potential fluctuations in quarterly
results, and risks associated with our competitive environment,
acquisition strategy, ability to develop new products or maintain market
share, brand and company image, operating in Russia, volatility of stock
price, financial risk management, and future growth.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC was founded in 1992 and is the largest
manufacturer of dairy products and a leading producer of juices and
beverages in Russia and the CIS. The company produces dairy products
(main brands include: Domik v Derevne, Chudo, Imunele, Bio Max and
more), juices (J7, Lubimy Sad, 100% Gold), Essentuki mineral water and
Rodniki Rossii natural water, Zdraivery kids’ brand and Agusha baby food.
The company has 37 manufacturing facilities in Russia, Ukraine,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia with over 16,000 employees. In 2005,
Wimm-Bill-Dann became the first Russian dairy producer to receive
approval from the European Commission to export its products into the
European Union.
In 2009, Standard & Poor's Governance Services confirmed WBD’s
governance, accountability, management, metrics, and analysis (GAMMA)
score "GAMMA- 7+”. The score reflects the effective work of the Board of
Directors and, in particular, the real influence of independent
directors in the decision-making process and the adherence of the
controlling shareholders to the highest standards of corporate
governance.
