A new CEO and strengthened management for Laroy Group

Laroy Group, a leading family business in the pet sector, is pleased to announce the strengthening of its central management team. Thomas Van Nielandt succeeds current CEO Els Laroy and will be responsible for the day-to-day management and further development of the company. Major shareholder Els Laroy will remain active within Laroy Group as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Furthermore, the leadership of the food and logistics activities will be integrated into a strengthened management team. 

Freshly appointed CEO Thomas Van Nielandt had been with Laroy Group for 1 year as Sales Director and has worked in the pet sector for 15 years. He held several senior management positions (Country Manager, Global Product & Brand Manager and Group Commercial Director) at Beaphar, a Dutch manufacturer of pet medicines and grooming products. ‘We are delighted to work with Thomas, in this new role, to continue building the future of Laroy Group with our integrated management team,’ said Els Laroy, current CEO passing on the torch. ‘Together with the Executive Board, we have carefully prepared this step and are confident that under his leadership we will take new steps to further strengthen our position in the market. 

In addition to Laroy Group's current other board members, current CEO Els Laroy, CFO Peter Moyaert and Director Purchase & Marketing Holger Passia, the group's food manager, Bob Smitz, and logistics manager, Philippe Henderick, will also join the strengthened six-person management team led by the new CEO. 

Comment from the new CEO

'I am honoured to take on this new role and look forward to leading this fantastic family business. This is a dynamic time full of opportunities and I cannot wait to work with the strengthened management team and board of Laroy Group to realise our shared vision and create sustainable value for our customers, partners, employees and shareholders,’ said Thomas Van Nielandt. ‘I strongly support this reinforcement. We are convinced that with this new management structure, we will give all departments of our company a voice in management and thus have all the levers in our hands to write a sustainable success story together.’