Nils van Dam joins Belgian dairy cooperative Milcobel as CEO

Nils van Dam has left Belgian consulting firm Scopernia to join Milcobel as chief executive officer. 

The former General Manager of Unilever in Belgium and Luxemburg joined the consulting firm in the summer of 2018, then operating as Duval Union Consulting. He led the firm’s Food & Retail practice, and helped Scopernia establish and grow the practice in its three key markets of Belgium, the Netherlands and Dubai.

In his new role as CEO of Milcobel, the largest dairy cooperative in Belgium with around 40% of milk production under its helm, Van Dam has been tasked with leading the cooperative through one of its largest transformations in history. 

Milcobel currently collects around 1.6 billion litres of milk a year from its 2,600 member dairy farmers, using the milk to produces high quality dairy products such as cheese, butter, cream, milk powder, ice cream, drinks and whey. But it is facing growing competition from international players, including those in the Netherlands and Denmark, and is seeing margins dip amid this competitive environment.

In a statement from Milcobel, the company confirmed that Van Dam will seek to “realise maximum value creation” for its member dairy farmers (basically meaning higher milk prices and lower operating costs) and focus on transforming Milcobel into a “high-performance, solid and efficient company.”

With over three decades of experience under his belt, the Board of Directors is convinced they have tapped the right man for the job. “With Nils we bring a very versatile manager on board, who has the right capabilities to further shape and realise the necessary change processes together with the management and all employees,” said spokesperson and Milcobel chairman Dirk Ryckaert.

Van Dam succeeds Erik De Cock, who held the position on interim basis following the resignation of former CEO Peter Koopmans in the fourth quarter of last year. 

On his new challenge Van Dam said: “I am honoured to lead one of the largest Belgian food companies and I am convinced that together we can develop Milcobel into an efficient and future-proof dairy cooperative.”