Moscow, Russia – August 15, 2006 – Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC [NYSE: WBD], a leading manufacturer of dairy products and beverages in Russia, today announced the appointment of Silviu Popovici as Head of Beverages effective as of September 1, 2006 and Leonid Yushin as Commercial Director of Beverages effective immediately. These appointments are the first of several management changes expected to take place in the Beverages segment in the coming months.
Mr. Popovici has extensive experience in sales, marketing, operations and general management with global companies Bristol-Myers Squibb and Coca-Cola in Romania, Russia and Ukraine. During the last two and a half years, he worked as Country Manager for Coca-Cola HBC Ukraine, the fastest growing Coca-Cola market in the world. Mr. Popovici has a degree in physics from the University of Bucharest. He is currently completing an MBA at the London Business School in the UK.
“We are very pleased to have Silviu taking the helm at beverages,” commented Tony Maher, Wimm-Bill-Dann’s CEO. “Having worked closely with Silviu firsthand in the past, I know him to be a skilled manager and leader with a proven track record in managing complex beverage businesses in Russia and other rapidly evolving markets. I believe Silviu will play a central role in the successful long-term restructuring of our beverages segment as we focus on improving our market share, enhancing our geographical reach and revamping our brands while improving profitability levels.”
Mr. Popovici added, “I am very excited to be joining the Wimm-Bill-Dann team and look forward to playing a leading role in this next stage of the Company’s development. I am also very pleased about the appointment of Leonid Yushin as Beverages new commercial director. Leonid will be responsible for our key client and distributor relationships country-wide. His extensive experience in the consumer market in general and the beverages segment in particular will play a vital role in the development of a more effective and flexible sales structure.”
Mr. Yushin has more than a decade of managerial and sales experience at leading Russian companies in the juice, drinks and other consumer goods markets. He most recently served as Central Division Director at Russian juice-maker Lebedyansky, with responsibility for Moscow, St Petersburg and the Central and North-West regions of Russia, accounting for the largest markets in the country. He previously held a number of senior positions in sales and operations at Bravo, a leading alcoholic drinks maker and Vena Brewery, one of Russia’s largest brewers. He holds an MBA from the Moscow State University High School of Economics and a diploma from the Stockholm School of Economics in St Petersburg.
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