UAE’s Agthia Group appoints new CEO

UAE-based food and beverage company, Agthia Group, has appointed Alan Smith as its new CEO, it announced on July 7.

Smith succeeds Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri, acting CEO of the group, who was appointed in March 2020 by the company’s board for a transition period.

Alan Smith was the erstwhile managing director  – Middle East and Pakistan for Mondelez International, where he spent more than 19 years across multiple roles, overseeing sales, logistics and operations for the GCC.

Smith holds significant cross functional experience having led strategic initiatives, business turnarounds, manufacturing build outs and multi-country operations as a business leader.

“We are delighted to welcome Alan Smith as CEO of Agthia Group,” said Khalifa Sultan Al Suwaidi, chairman, Agthia Group and chief investment officer at ADQ.

“As Agthia Group expects to continue expanding operations across regional markets and diversifying product offerings, Alan’s depth of experience and track record of success in the industry will be instrumental. We anticipate that under his leadership Agthia will continue to capitalise on its position as a key player in the UAE’s food and beverage industry to further its international expansion projects, deliver value to our shareholders and contribute to Abu Dhabi efforts to develop key sectors of the non-oil economy.”

Agthia Group is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), and is part of ADQ.

Also read: UAE’s Agthia launches region’s first ‘plant-based’ water bottle