Philippe Schaillee appointed new Costa Coffee chief executive

Costa Coffee has announced the appointment of Philippe Schaillee as its new chief executive.

Schaillee, who will take charge on April 10, joins from Groupe SEB, the global leader in small domestic appliances, where he has served as executive vice president in charge of products and innovation since April 2021.

“Philippe is an outstanding leader who comes to Costa with a deep background in business and a passion for building great brands,” said Evguenia ‘Jeny’ Stoichkova, president of global ventures for The Coca-Cola Company. “We look forward to working with Philippe to expand on the plans we have developed to grow Costa, both in its home country of England and beyond.”

Schaillee began his career with the Sara Lee Group in Belgium in 1994, where he held various marketing roles. In 2000, he moved to the US, where he was executive vice president of marketing for the coffee and tea businesses. He later became EVP of the beverages division.

In 2006, he was named EVP of the breakfast, snacking & beverages division, and two years later apointed SVP, chief marketing officer and executive committee member for all of the Sara Lee Group’s categories in the US.

In 2012, Schaillee returned to Europe, where he joined Jacob Douwe Egberts (JDE) Group. He was named president of the Professional Coffee Division and served as a member of their executive committee.

Most recently, he has been a member of the executive committee at Écully, France-based Groupe SEB, which is a global market leader in cookware, small domestic appliances and professional coffee equipment, with brands that include WMF, Schaerer, All-Clad, Krups, Tefal and Rowenta.

“I have long admired Costa and appreciate the company’s deep history and heritage,” Schaillee said. “I am excited to join the great team at Costa and look forward to learning and growing the business with them.”

Schaillee is a graduate of Catholic University Leuven and holds an MBA from Vlerick Leuven Ghent Management School, both in Belgium.

He succeeds Jill McDonald, who stepped down as Cost chief executive in July last year to become the president of the International Operated Markets segment of McDonald’s.