Michael Zacharias Named Ferrero's VP Of Trade Marketing & Category Management

Ferrero USA has appointed Michael Zacharias as VP, Trade Marketing and Category Management, overseeing trade marketing, category management and shopper marketing for brands including Nutella, Butterfinger, Baby Ruth and Kinder.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. May 20, 2020 – Ferrero USA, Inc., part of the global confectionery company Ferrero Group, today announced that Michael Zacharias has joined the organization as Vice President, Trade Marketing and Category Management, U.S.A. In this new role, Zacharias will lead trade marketing, category management and shopper marketing for Ferrero’s portfolio, which includes Nutella, Kinder, Tic Tac, Ferrero Rocher, Crunch, Baby Ruth and Butterfinger. Zacharias will report to James Klein, Ferrero Chief Customer Officer, Ferrero USA.

“Michael’s deep experience in the food and beverage industry, his extensive market management and his strategic planning experience expertise will be valuable assets to Ferrero and help drive the continued growth of our brand portfolio,” said Klein. 

Zacharias joins Ferrero from American brewing company Anheuser-Busch, where he spent the entirety of his career. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Sales for the company’s northeast region. In his role, Zacharias was responsible for the full profit & loss center of the Northeast Business Unit, including strategic planning, human resources, sales and marketing, business development and customer satisfaction. Throughout his tenure with the company, Michael has held other corporate leadership positions, including stints as Vice President of Trade Marketing and Group Director of Revenue Management. 

“I’m honored to join the Ferrero ranks and build upon an impressive legacy of product excellence and commercial integrity that has sustained the company for decades,” said Zacharias, who will be based in Parsippany, N.J. 

Zacharias holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Valparaiso University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Washington University.

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About Ferrero For over 70 years, Ferrero has been creating products loved by generations. We've grown from a bakery in Alba into the third largest confectionery in the world. Ferrero entered the U.S. market in 1969 with Tic Tac® mints and continues to win hearts and sharing joy with Ferrero Rocher®, Nutella®, Kinder® and Fannie May chocolates. Ferrero Group expanded its chocolate portfolio with the addition of legendary brands, including Butterfinger, Crunch, Baby Ruth, Raisinets, and other legendary chocolate brands which are now part of the Ferrero U.S. portfolio.We're proud to be a family-owned company with 3,000 employees in seven offices and eight plants and warehouses in North America. Instilled in every aspect of our business at every level is the entrepreneurial spirit of our founders, and we work together as a family to bring the Ferrero passion for quality, creativity, and innovation to life every day. Generation after generation, our products are crafted by the people who love them and who appreciate the philosophy behind them. Follow @FerreroUSA on Twitter and Instagram.