NANTES, FRANCE — Tim Cook will lead Linxis Group as president and chief executive officer of the group. Linxis offers the industrial food and health manufacturing industries specialized equipment through its five companies: Bakon, Diosna, Shick Esteve, Unifiller and VMI.  

“Our hope is to become a platform company where we can use our processes and systems to enable company leaders in the food, beverage and healthcare industries to thrive and grow their brands,” Mr. Cook said. 

Mr. Cook accepts the position after leading Shick Esteve, a complete ingredient automation provider to the food industry, through its integration into the Linxis Group and the merger with Esteve Processing. During his eight years at Shick Esteve, he has served in a variety of leadership roles, including chief operations officer, president and CEO, as well as vice president of Linxis Group since 2019.

“When planning the succession of Linxis Group leadership, I considered Tim’s industry experience as well as his personal and professional skills, and he was the obvious choice to lead our global group,” said Didier Soumet, president of the Linxis Group supervisory board. “I am very proud that our board confirmed this choice and that Tim has accepted. He along with Anne Brifault, our vice president and chief financial officer, will truly personify Linxis Group’s strategic ambitions for synergistic growth worldwide.”

As president and CEO of the group, Mr. Cook will remain based in Kansas City, Mo., with an office at the Linxis Group headquarters in France. Blake Day, president of Shick Esteve North America, will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of the Kansas City-based business.

“We are extremely excited about Tim’s new role with Linxis Group,” Mr. Day said. “Over the past eight years at Shick Esteve, Tim has significantly enhanced our business operations and built a very strong team. I look forward to continue to guide Shick Esteve and work with Tim on overall global opportunities.”

As Shick Esteve prepared for this change, Gwennolé Van Effenterre joined as CFO on Oct. 1. Mr. Van Effenterre has been working with Shick Esteve since joining Linxis Group in 2016, assisting with project financials and other corporate financial reporting and strategic initiatives.

“Gwenn has been an integral part of our organization since the acquisition of Shick Esteve by Linxis Group,” Mr. Day said. “He brings a strong financial background and business acumen to the company. We look forward to Gwenn’s contribution to the organization’s continued success.”