Gerhard Pleuhs

Biography

Gerd Pleuhs is Executive Vice President & General Counsel. Gerd oversees the company’s legal, corporate secretarial, compliance, and security functions. Gerd joined the Law Department of Jacobs Kaffee Deutschland GmbH in 1985, prior to its acquisition in 1990 by Altria Group, Inc. (formerly Philip Morris Companies Inc.). Gerd held a number of senior positions within the German Law Department, including Chief Counsel for the combined operations of Kraft and Jacobs Suchard, covering legal and regulatory affairs. In 2000, he was appointed Vice President & Chief Counsel for Kraft’s Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa Region, headquartered in Vienna. In 2003, Gerd was appointed Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Kraft Foods International, Inc. based in Rye Brook, N.Y. In 2004, Gerd moved to Northfield, IL to assume the position of Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, International for Kraft Foods Global, Inc. He was promoted to Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Business Units in November 2007. On April 1st, 2012 Gerd became Kraft Foods’ EVP & General Counsel, reporting to the CEO.  He continues in that role for Mondelēz International, Inc. following the October 1, 2012 Spin-off of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. Since leaving the “home territory” in Bremen, Germany, for more than a decade, Gerd has been involved in and dealt with a wide variety of legal issues and matters. His work has involved many jurisdictions and areas of law and compliance, including much of Kraft’s international M&A activity.  Gerd negotiated Kraft’s acquisition of businesses in Morocco, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Poland, Turkey, and Egypt. He was the lead negotiator in Kraft’s 2007 $7.6Bn acquisition of Danone’s LU biscuit business. He was also a member of the core team responsible for Kraft’s $19Bn Cadbury acquisition in 2010. With the announcement of the separation of Kraft Foods Inc. into two separate publicly-traded companies, Mondelēz international, Inc. and Kraft Foods Group, Inc., Gerd led the many legal work streams that enabled the spin-off of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. Gerd is the President of the co-determined Supervisory Board of Mondelēz International in Germany. He was a member of the Kraft Developing Markets and the North American leadership teams before he joined the Mondelēz International Leadership team. Under Gerd’s leadership, the BU team has twice received Inside Counsel magazine’s “Most Innovative Legal Department” award. Gerd has a law degree from the University in Kiel, and is a member of the Bar in Bremen, Germany. Gerd Pleuhs is Executive Vice President & General Counsel. Gerd oversees the company’s legal, corporate secretarial, compliance, and security functions. Gerd joined the Law Department of Jacobs Kaffee Deutschland GmbH in 1985, prior to its acquisition in 1990 by Altria Group, Inc. (formerly Philip Morris Companies Inc.). Gerd held a number of senior positions within the German Law Department, including Chief Counsel for the combined operations of Kraft and Jacobs Suchard, covering legal and regulatory affairs. In 2000, he was appointed Vice President & Chief Counsel for Kraft’s Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa Region, headquartered in Vienna. In 2003, Gerd was appointed Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Kraft Foods International, Inc. based in Rye Brook, N.Y. In 2004, Gerd moved to Northfield, IL to assume the position of Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, International for Kraft Foods Global, Inc. He was promoted to Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Business Units in November 2007. On April 1st, 2012 Gerd became Kraft Foods’ EVP & General Counsel, reporting to the CEO.  He continues in that role for Mondelēz International, Inc. following the October 1, 2012 Spin-off of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. Since leaving the “home territory” in Bremen, Germany, for more than a decade, Gerd has been involved in and dealt with a wide variety of legal issues and matters. His work has involved many jurisdictions and areas of law and compliance, including much of Kraft’s international M&A activity.  Gerd negotiated Kraft’s acquisition of businesses in Morocco, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Poland, Turkey, and Egypt. He was the lead negotiator in Kraft’s 2007 $7.6Bn acquisition of Danone’s LU biscuit business. He was also a member of the core team responsible for Kraft’s $19Bn Cadbury acquisition in 2010. With the announcement of the separation of Kraft Foods Inc. into two separate publicly-traded companies, Mondelēz international, Inc. and Kraft Foods Group, Inc., Gerd led the many legal work streams that enabled the spin-off of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. Gerd is the President of the co-determined Supervisory Board of Mondelēz International in Germany. He was a member of the Kraft Developing Markets and the North American leadership teams before he joined the Mondelēz International Leadership team. Under Gerd’s leadership, the BU team has twice received Inside Counsel magazine’s “Most Innovative Legal Department” award. Gerd has a law degree from the University in Kiel, and is a member of the Bar in Bremen, Germany.

Research Interest

Business