At the 2019 Annual General Meeting, two new members will stand for election to the Board of Directors of Valora Holding AG. Retail and supply chain expert Sascha Zahnd, part of the leadership team at Tesla Inc., as well as food retail and franchising specialist Insa Klasing will in future contribute their expertise to the leading foodvenience provider.
The Board of Directors of Valora Holding AG will propose the election of Insa Klasing and Sascha Zahnd as new members of the Board of Directors to the Annual General Meeting on 29 March 2019.
Since 2017, Insa Klasing has served as CEO of the start-up TheNextWe, a company that she co-founded and which provides support in changing digital mindsets within companies. In 2017, the World Economic Forum nominated her as Young Global Leader for her commitment to ensuring that everyone in India receives basic education and for her position as the youngest General Manager of all time at Yum! Brands. The German native, now 39 years old, held the position of CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the DACH region and Denmark for five years after having worked as Supply Chain and Equipment Director and Company Operations Director for KFC UK. Between 2006 and 2009, she was responsible in her role as Country Manager for the launch of the British brand "innocent smoothies" in Germany, which developed into the market leader. She started her career in 2004 as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company in London. Prior to this, she took on a role for NGO Action Aid! in New Delhi immediately after completing her studies in 2003. Insa Klasing holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics, Politics and Philosophy from the University of Oxford as well as a Master's degree in South Asian Area Studies from the University of London. She is a member of the Board of Directors of SV Group AG and sits on the Supervisory Board of Sausalitos.
Sascha Zahnd has been Vice President Global Supply Chain and part of the senior management team at Tesla Inc. in Palo Alto, California, since 2016. He is actively involved in helping to develop future global topics such as mobility, energy, artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0. Previously, the 43-year-old Swiss native worked for six years at ETA SA/Swatch Group, where as a member of the Executive Board he was responsible for the global supply chain and the component production plants. In this role, he completely repositioned the entire purchasing and logistics organisation and significantly increased production flexibility. Between 2001 and 2010, he worked for IKEA, initially in Switzerland and then in Sweden, Mexico, the US and China. He started his career at the retail company as Regional Logistics Manager and went on to hold various roles including Sales Manager and Deputy to the General Manager of IKEA Retail in New York and finally Head Supply Division Asia Pacific in Shanghai. After completing his apprenticeship as a forwarding merchant in Basel, Switzerland, Sascha Zahnd gained a degree in Business Administration from the University of Applied Sciences in the same city. He also holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from the IMD Business School in Lausanne.
Franz Julen, Chairman of the Valora Board of Directors, expressed his pleasure at the new additions: “Insa Klasing and Sascha Zahnd are perfect additions to the existing Valora Board of Directors. Insa Klasing has far-reaching international retail experience in the strategically important food, franchising and digital area. Sascha Zahnd boasts a strong track record in the fields of retail, production and supply chain at globally leading companies and will, in particular, be able to play a part in the integrated value chain for baked goods and own brands. He will also embodies the digital pioneer, innovation and transformation spirit that is synonymous with Silicon Valley. We are confident that Insa Klasing and Sascha Zahnd will provide important impetus for our foodvenience business and the continued success of Valora.”