Kerry Appoints Marcio Luz as President and CEO for Latin America, Focusing on Sustainable Nutrition

Kerry, an Irish multinational specializing in sustainable nutrition solutions with over three decades of presence in Latin America, announced a key reconfiguration in its regional leadership. The company aims to strengthen its role in food innovation, product reformulation, and sustainability, at a time when the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries face increasing pressure to improve processes and reduce environmental impact.

Marcio Luz, who previously led operations for Brazil and the Southern Cone, will assume the presidency and general management of Kerry in Latin America. He succeeds Marcelo Marques, who is now responsible for Kerry Europe and the Global Preservation division. Luz brings 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry—15 of them with Kerry—with a track record in markets such as meat, plant-based, and foodservice.

In his first statement, the executive emphasized that the objective remains to develop solutions that enable clients to respond to increasingly demanding consumers: accessible, nutritious, environmentally responsible foods without sacrificing taste. According to Luz, the company will maintain its investment in scientific innovation and co-creation with the industries it serves.

As part of the restructuring, Edson Barros will assume general management for Brazil and the Southern Cone, while Adriana Rached—previously Director of Planning and Strategy—will take on the Vice Presidency of Marketing & EUMs for Latin America. With these changes, Kerry reaffirms its commitment to internal talent and the development of leaders with deep technical and commercial expertise.

Food Innovation to Address Global Challenges

Kerry’s strategy in the region focuses on advancing sustainable nutrition models, with the goal of impacting two billion people by 2030. The company collaborates with manufacturers to reformulate foods, enhance nutritional profiles, extend product shelf life, and substitute vulnerable ingredients in the supply chain, such as cocoa, citrus, and eggs.

Among its tools are Kerry NutriGuide, which helps create foods with improved nutritional value; Food Waste Estimator, for reducing waste; and CarbonGuide, which calculates emissions and supports more responsible design decisions. These solutions, based on science and advanced analytics, enable the reduction of losses, optimization of processes, and achievement of sustainability and clean label goals.

The company emphasizes that food waste is one of the critical challenges: globally, nearly 12 billion loaves of bread are wasted annually. Its approach combines preservation technologies, natural conservation systems, and formulation models designed to extend shelf life without unnecessary additives.

Robust Operations and Expansion in Latin America

Kerry operates in over 50 countries, currently impacting 1.4 billion people; 111 million of them in Latin America. The company reports global revenues of €7 billion, 20,000 employees, 124 production plants, and over 70 technology centers.

In the region, where it has had a presence for 30 years, it boasts 13 production plants and two technical innovation centers, in addition to over 17 acquisitions that have strengthened its portfolio and capabilities. From its local operations, it promotes social impact programs such as Café Femenino, Gerando Baristas, and Joven Chef, focused on technical education and employment opportunities in vulnerable communities.

With Marcio Luz’s appointment to regional leadership, Kerry aims to consolidate a strategy that combines scientific innovation, sustainability, and the strengthening of internal talent, maintaining its position as a key partner for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries in Latin America.

The post first appeared on Líder Empresarial.