Mondelez International has promoted Zakaria Dahkoun to chief procurement officer as the company continues shifting some of its product mix away from its reliance on chocolate. Dahkoun took over the role Aug. 1 after more than 13 years at Mondelez, most recently as SVP of cocoa enterprise.
Dahkoun has held sourcing leadership roles across categories and geographies, including SVP of global direct materials sourcing. He has more than 21 years of procurement experience overall, according to Global Media Relations Manager Desiree Battaglia. “His experience covers end-to-end procurement across diverse categories and geographies,” Battaglia said.
The appointment follows several years of volatility in cocoa, with higher prices prompting Mondelez to launch products that rely less on chocolate. Dahkoun now takes over as cocoa supply conditions improve. COO Luca Zaramella said cocoa supply and demand are “in a much different situation and a much better one” for the years ahead.
Cocoa suppliers increased production during the volatile period, and Zaramella said output from the past several years is now more than enough to cover the deficit that had depleted stockpiles.
Dahkoun replaces Thomas Gaengler, who served as chief procurement officer for four years before joining chocolate maker Barry Callebaut as chief operating officer earlier this month. Mondelez is also preparing a major Oreo overhaul for 2027, including “new formulas that will result in better labels,” Zaramella said, according to Supply Chain Dive.
