COFFEE OPERATING UNIT LEADERSHIP TEAM
The company is led by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in close collaboration with the Coffee Operating Unit Leadership Team (COULT). The Coffee Operating Unit Leadership Team is led by the CEO and includes the following 11 senior executives: CFO, four Segment Presidents, and the heads of Marketing, R&D, HR, Supply, Transformation, and Legal & Corporate Affairs.
CEO & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
RAFA OLIVEIRA
CEO & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
RAFA OLIVEIRA
Rafa Oliveira is CEO of the Coffee Operating Unit of Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) and will serve as the CEO of the future Global Coffee Company following separation from KDP. He also serves as Executive Director of JDE Peet’s.
Rafa Oliveira was Executive Director and CEO of JDE Peet’s until 1 April 2026. Prior to joining JDE Peet’s, Rafa spent 10 years at The Kraft Heinz Company, where he successfully drove growth, innovation and sustainability initiatives, and developing business leaders while serving in various executive roles, including Executive Vice President and President of International Markets such as EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.
Before his tenure at Kraft Heinz, Rafa spent 10 years at Goldman Sachs Group, holding several senior leadership roles, including Executive Director in the Securities Division in the United Kingdom and in the Emerging Markets Division in Hong Kong. He began his career in Brazil, working in the Equity Research divisions at Banco Icatu and Banco BBA-Creditanstalt.
Rafa holds an International MBA from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree in economics from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
CFO
YANG XU
CFO
YANG XU
Yang Xu (French) assumed the role of CFO at JDE Peet’s in May 2025.
Prior to JDE Peet’s, Yang spent 2 years as Chief Financial Officer with the Swiss-based Straumann Group, a global leader in tooth replacement and orthodontic solutions. Before her tenure at Straumann, Yang spent more than 5 years with the Kraft Heinz company as Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Development and Global Treasurer and was a member of the company’s Executive Committee.
Yang has more than 20 years of experience in finance, strategy, operational and commercial functions. Her career started with General Electric Healthcare in Europe. She then worked for Whirlpool Corporation, rising through various financial roles of increasing responsibility across corporate functions, business units and regions. Her experience was further enhanced by leading commercial and operational functions outside of finance. During her career, Yang has worked in many countries across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
Yang holds a Master’s degree in management from HEC Paris and holds various qualifications of MBA programs at London Business School and Stanford University.
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
RICARD BARRI VALENTINES
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
RICARD BARRI VALENTINES
Ricard Barri Valentines (Spanish) is the Chief Marketing Officer of JDE Peet’s.
With over 18 years of international marketing and brand experience across the Food & Beverages, Home Care, and Beauty Industries, Ricard has a proven track record of leading brands and teams to success through transformative marketing strategies. He has consistently delivered impactful growth by aligning efforts around a shared vision and purpose.
Previously, Ricard served as the Global Category Director Instant Coffee & Liquid Coffee (2021 – 2024). He was instrumental in the launch of our aluminium capsules business, establishing L’OR as the company’s global premium coffee platform, and playing key roles in the turnaround of Instant Coffee and Jacobs.
Ricard holds a Master of Arts in Business Administration from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
CHIEF LEGAL & CORPORATE AFFAIRS OFFICER
KHALED RABBANI
CHIEF LEGAL & CORPORATE AFFAIRS OFFICER
KHALED RABBANI
Khaled Rabbani (Dutch) is the Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer of JDE Peet’s.
Khaled has more than 27 years of international Legal and Corporate Affairs experience, having worked in The Netherlands, United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Prior to joining JDE Peet’s, Khaled served as the General Counsel, Head of Compliance and interim Company Secretary of Majid al Futtaim Holding in Dubai, UAE, one of the world’s leading lifestyle, retail and real-estate companies.
Khaled holds a Bachelor of Arts (History/International Relations) from Tufts University and a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School.
CHIEF HR OFFICER
JOHAN VAN GOSSUM
CHIEF HR OFFICER
JOHAN VAN GOSSUM
Johan Van Gossum (Belgian) is the Chief HR Officer of JDE Peet’s. He was appointed to this role in 2020.
Prior to JDE Peet’s, Johan spent 15 years gaining valuable experience in a variety of leadership positions across HR, Finance, Sales, M&A and IT at ABinBev including time as VP FP&A, VP People Continuity, VP Global Transformation and VP People Europe/ International.
Earlier in his career, he worked for Accenture on various assignments across Europe and the United States focused on organisational design, culture building and financial performance management.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from Vlerick Leuven-Gent Management School and a Master of Law from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
CHIEF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
CAROLYN ADAMS
CHIEF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
CAROLYN ADAMS
Carolyn Adams (British) is the Chief R&D Officer. She was appointed to her role in 2022.
With over 37 years of working in FMCG, Carolyn is an experienced and accomplished Research and Development professional with a demonstrated track record of working in the Global Food & Beverage Industry and specifically innovation and technology development and deployment for Coffee & Tea. Carolyn started her career in R&D for General Foods as an R&D Process Technician, her career has primarily focused on consumer led innovation whether through product or process development. She has a true passion for product innovation and a particular deep understanding of Coffee & Tea fundamentals with a particular expertise for Instant Coffee and Ingredient Technology.
Along with Global R&D positions, Carolyn has also held successful roles within European Supply Chain, for Operations as Quality and Continuous Improvement Manager at the Banbury UK Instant coffee production plant (Mondelez International) and also European Instant Coffee Category Business Development Manager (Kraft Foods Europe).
Carolyn attended Oxford Brookes University and received a HNC in Business Finance.
CHIEF SUPPLY OFFICER
EVERT MEINDERTSMA
CHIEF SUPPLY OFFICER
EVERT MEINDERTSMA
Evert Meindertsma (Dutch) is the Chief Supply Officer based in Amsterdam.
Prior to becoming Chief Supply Officer, he was Operations Director for the APAC region, based in Malaysia. Having been at JDE Peet's since 2008, he has also held other key roles, notably Global R&D Director and Category Manufacturing Director of Europe.
On the supply side, he has expertise in manufacturing, operational excellence, product launches and network optimization.
Prior to joining JDE Peet's, he worked for Procter & Gamble for 12 years in Belgium, the USA and the Netherlands.
Evert holds a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Groningen.
CHIEF TRANSFORMATION OFFICER
GUILLAUME DELLE VIGNE
CHIEF TRANSFORMATION OFFICER
GUILLAUME DELLE VIGNE
Guillaume Delle Vigne (Belgian, Argentinean) is the Chief Transformation Officer of JDE Peet’s. He was appointed to his role in 2025. He has around 15 years of experience within the FMCG industry.
Guillaume joined JDE Peet’s in 2021 as the Global Treasurer and with his leadership he reshaped the Global Treasury organization through talent, technology and capabilities building. He strengthened JDE Peet’s financial foundations by refinancing the whole balance sheet and steadily improving credit metrics over time. In mid-2024, his financial leadership and discipline led to the extension of his responsibilities to M&A and the Office of the CFO.
Prior to joining JDE Peet’s, Guillaume spent almost a decade at AB InBev, with global and regional positions, where he played a central role in multiple transformational M&As and successfully led strategic cross-functional efforts in Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa.
He has a Master’s degree in Business Engineering from the Solvay Business School and started his career in banking.
PRESIDENT PEET'S
STUART HEFLIN
PRESIDENT PEET'S
STUART HEFLIN
Stuart Heflin (U.S.) assumed the role of President of Peet’s in November 2025.
Stuart is a senior executive with more than 20 years of experience leading global consumer brands and driving growth through innovation, purpose and people. He joins us from The Simply Good Foods Company, where he served as Senior Vice President & General Manager for Quest Nutrition, delivering record growth and expanding the brand into new categories and channels.
Earlier in his career, Stuart held senior leadership roles at Glanbia Performance Nutrition and Procter & Gamble, where he built a reputation for combining strategic discipline with a genuine passion for building brands and empowering teams.
Stuart holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Marketing, both from Ohio State University.
PRESIDENT EUROPE
JOHN BRANDS
PRESIDENT EUROPE
JOHN BRANDS
John Brands (Dutch) is the President of Europe of JDE Peet’s and was appointed to this position in June 2024. Since joining JDE Peet's in 2015, he has served as General Manager for both the Netherlands and the DACH region.
He has over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, and general management within the FMCG industry. He worked at Procter & Gamble as Marketing and Sales Director, at the Boston Consulting Group as a senior consultant, and at Coca-Cola as Country Director.
He holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology.
PRESIDENT APAC
LARA BRANS
PRESIDENT APAC
LARA BRANS
Lara Brans (Dutch) is President of APAC. She was appointed to her role in 2019. She has over 28 years of experience within the FMCG industry.
She initially joined JDE Peet's in 1998, where she was responsible for setting up its Coffee Service Unit for major events in The Netherlands, before leading its Dutch Coffee Care Unit supporting small and medium businesses.
In 2004, she became Marketing Director, APAC Sara Lee responsible for the health and body care categories, before assuming the General Management position in the Australia and New Zealand coffee business in 2008. In 2015, she was appointed General Manager for Brazil, one of JDE Peet's largest markets by revenue, before assuming her current role on the executive leadership team.
She holds a degree in Business Economics from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and is an accredited company director (GAICD Australian Institute of Company Directors). Today, she is based out of our Singapore regional headquarters.
PRESIDENT LARMEA
TATIANA EFREMOVA
PRESIDENT LARMEA
TATIANA EFREMOVA
Tatiana Efremova (Russian) is the President LARMEA. She was appointed to this role in 2020. She has over 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry. She originally joined JDE Peet's in 2015 as the General Manager for Russia and under her leadership the company has achieved strong year-on-year growth and grew share in the Russian coffee market.
Prior to joining JDE Peet's, Tatiana served as General Category Manager of Beverages for Mondelēz International. She began her career at Procter & Gamble where she served in a number of roles, including Commercial Director for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
She is a graduate from the Lomonosov Moscow State University.