Mondelez International Inc., a titan in the snack food space, announced Tuesday evening its hire of Laura Stein as general counsel and executive vice president of corporate and legal affairs.
Stein will take over Jan. 11 from Gerhard Pleuhs, who will retire at the end of April from Mondelez, the Chicago-based parent company of prominent confectionary brands like Belvita biscuits, Cadbury candies, Chips Ahoy and Oreo cookies, and Ritz and Triscuit crackers.
“From the company’s iconic brands and unique global footprint to their impactful sustainability and growth strategy, there are many reasons why I am thrilled to join Mondelez,” Stein said in a statement announcing her hire.
Pleuhs is a German lawyer who has been Mondelez’s legal chief since 2012, the same year the company adopted its name after previously being known as Kraft Foods Inc.
Dirk Van de Put, chairman and CEO at Mondelez, thanked Pleuhs in a statement for his more than 35 years of service to the company.
“Gerd has been a vital member of my leadership team and has built a world-class global corporate and legal affairs department that is well positioned to support our long-term growth strategy,” he said.
Pleuhs was not among Mondelez’s top six highest-paid executives in 2019, per a proxy statement filed by the company. Bloomberg data shows that Pleuhs owns more than $8.9 million in Mondelez stock.
Clorox announced last month that Stein would depart after 23 years in a variety of in-house roles at the company. This week Clorox officially promoted former deputy general counsel Angela Hilt to succeed Stein as general counsel and executive vice president of corporate affairs.
Stein received nearly $3 million in total compensation from Clorox in 2019, according to a proxy statement filed by the Oakland, Calif.-based consumer products company.
Stein stepped down last year as head of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, a group that advocates for greater diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
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