Kellogg MD Esme Borgelt has left the cereal giant after 18 years with the company to take up a new role as CEO at Kinrise.
A Kellogg spokesperson said of her move: “We thank Esme for her contribution and wish her all the best in the new role. We will share more information on her replacement in due course.”
During her time at Kellogg Company, Borgelt held the Australia-New Zealand MD role for nearly three years after serving as director of sales for three years, and GM of the New Zealand arm for a further three. Prior to Kellogg, she worked in consumer sales with Kimberly-Clark.
Kinrise is a three-year-old family-owned Australian business that distributes “clean, accessible and delicious Australian-made food we are proud to serve our own families”.
Its current portfolio includes products in the breakfast, baking, bakery, biscuits and snacks categories, produced locally by Cobs Fine Foods, Greens Foods, Susan Day Cakes and Ozpack.
On LinkedIn the company describes itself as “a startup with scale”.
“With an already extensive portfolio, we are thinking differently about food because we believe the world would be a better place if big food was a bit more human, a bit more thoughtful, and a lot more delicious.
“Kinrise is no place for egos, politics or the faint-hearted.”
In an interview with Inside FMCG in July, Borgelt shared the thinking behind Kellogg’s latest food innovations, how the brand was connecting with consumers via gaming and virtual reality, and plans to develop its e-commerce channel.
Her passion for healthy foods was clear then. “It’s not uncommon for Australians to lead the way in healthy eating globally. We’ve definitely noticed the shift towards healthier products, but this comes with some caveats because people don’t want to compromise on taste or choice. So, we need balance in both health and taste – and to provide plenty of choice at both ends of the spectrum because that is what our consumers tell us they want.”
