Sara Lee Names Harm-Jan van Pelt to Head International Coffee and Tea Rest of World

UTRECHT, The Netherlands, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --



Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE) today announced that Harm-Jan van Pelt has been appointed Chief Operating Officer Rest of World of Sara Lee's International Coffee and Tea Rest of World division, effective April 30, 2012. The role covers the business in Eastern Europe, Australasia and Latin America. He will continue to serve in the same role once the International Coffee and Tea business is spun-off from Sara Lee Corp.

Van Pelt, 49, started with Sara Lee in 1998 and since performed a number of international marketing and general management roles across both the Household and Body Care business as well as the Coffee and Tea business, working in Spain and The Netherlands and responsibility for activities in Australasia and Eastern Europe.

Previously he was with Henkel in several senior marketing roles, working in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

Van Pelt, member of the company's Executive Committee, will continue to report into CEO Michiel Herkemij. "Harm-Jan brings an outstanding track record in the company. More recently he has had a significant impact in getting the Western European countries aligned and focused," said Sara Lee Corp's International Coffee and Tea business Chief Executive Officer Michiel Herkemij. "His passion and drive will be instrumental in delivering our strategies."

About Sara Lee Corporation

Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE) and its leading portfolio of food and beverage brands, including Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Pickwick Teas, Sara Lee and Senseo, generate nearly $9 billion in annual net sales from continuing operations and employ approximately 20,000 people worldwide.  In January, 2011, Sara Lee Corp. announced that it will divide the company into two pure -play publicly-traded companies, one focused on the international coffee and tea market and the other on North American meats.  For more information on the company, please visit http://www.saralee.com.