Neumann Kaffe Gruppe Chief People Officer Maren Uzarek, CFO Justin Schulze-Smidt and CEO David M. Neumann.
Hamburg, Germany-based green coffee conglomerate Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) is decentralizing its executive leadership structure, introducing three regional CEOs leading offices in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, and Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Beginning Feb. 1, longtime coffee trader and former Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafe) president Nicolas Rueda Latiff will oversee the Americas region as CEO.
Ruben Scholz is transitioning from his position as Group COO in Hamburg to lead the Asia Pacific office, based in Singapore, as CEO.
The company said that, “for now,” the EMEA office will remain in Hamburg under the leadership of group CEO David M. Neumann.
“By enacting real regional empowerment and rethinking how we work, we are building a stronger, more dynamic organization poised to navigate future challenges and opportunities,” David M. Neumann said in a press release. “We are moving closer to our business; we are opening for talent where talent is and are moving away from our traditional setup with a very dominant center. We are building our organization for the future on the success of the past and basing it on trust and the shared values within NKG.”
Comprising more than 60 companies in 28 countries, NKG recently opened its first trading subsidiary in China. The group also recently opened a trading business in Indonesia to meet domestic demand among roasters.
NKG Group companies trading green coffee in the U.S. market include high-volume trader Rothfos — which imported the equivalent of approximately 1.5 million 60-kilo bags of coffee in 2023/24, according to Tradeimex data — as well as InterAmerican Coffee and Atlas Coffee Importers.
In addition to the decentralized CEO structure, the Neumann group is reshaping its board in Hamburg. Previously comprising eight members, the board will now include three permanent members — group CEO Neumann, group Chief People Officer Maren Uzarek and group CFO Justin Schulze-Smidt — plus the three regional CEOs.
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