Dispensa Group PLC (LSE:DISP) has appointed Alessandro Colombo as chief executive with immediate effect, bringing commercial and corporate strategic experience.
The investor in luxury food brands, which recently changed its name from Zamaz PLC to echo its Italian main trading subsidiary Bella Dispensa, pointed out that Colombo is an Italian national who speaks five languages and has experience working across mainland Europe and in the UK in both public and private companies.
Dispensa chairman Niccolò Caderni said: "I am delighted that Alessandro is joining the Dispensa Group as we continue to build our portfolio of luxury food brands.
“Alessandro brings a wealth of commercial experience which will be important as we drive growth in our group, both organically and by acquisition.”
The 56-year-old was most recently the area general manager for Italy at Sonder Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed rival to AirBnB, for almost five years, according to his LinkedIn page, following a role in charge of M&A and strategy at a Swiss health insurer.
Other roles have included being chief executive officer at IKB Corporate Lab, a financial sector joint-venture between UniCredit and IKB, and vice president in investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston’s London office in the 1990s through to 2002, where he advised clients on corporate strategy, M&A and fundraisings.
Bella Dispensa made three acquisitions in the six months since the company's IPO: Dallate Italia Srl, a manufacturer and distributor of luxury ice creams and other premium dairy products; Eccellenze Srl, a luxury foods offline retailer; and Ecocarne Srl, a premium fresh meat retailer.