Cargill has appointed a new marketing and communications director, as it puts greater focus on its cocoa and chocolate business.

Niklas Andersson has filled the role, and will be responsible for as marketing and communications for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia.

He joined the business from food manufacturer Corbion, where he led the global marketing team. He has also spent a lot of time with Unilever.

Andersson said: “I am extremely pleased to join Cargill at such an exciting time. The cocoa and chocolate business is growing geographically and continues to get closer to customers. I am looking forward to applying my experience of B2B and B2C marketing, brand-building and innovation to the company. In today’s fast-paced business world, the business-to-business angle needs to be increasingly consumer-oriented; we need to utilise Cargill’s food expertise and market knowledge to better anticipate consumer needs, so we can best serve our customers.”

Meanwhile, the European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether the proposed acquisition of the industrial chocolate business of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) by Cargill is in line with the EU Merger Regulation.