WASHINGTON — Paul Chibe, president and chief executive officer of Ferrero North America, has been named chairman of the National Confectioners Association’s board of trustees for a two-year term. Mr. Chibe, who most recently was vice chairman of the board, succeeds Kirk Vashaw, chairman and CEO of Spangler Candy Co.

“The future of the confectionery industry remains bright, and it is important to have a strong and thoughtful leader like Paul as chair of the NCA board for the next chapter of our journey,” said John Downs, president and CEO of the NCA. “I am grateful for Paul's engagement, energy and commitment, and I look forward to working with him and the full NCA board to continue to execute our strategic plan ‘Thrive in 2025.’”

Mr. Chibe has 30 years of experience within the confectionery and consumer products industries. In his role as leader of Ferrero North America, Mr. Chibe is responsible for Ferrero's brands and business in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. He has overseen Ferrero's category growth through innovations and expansion of the company's offerings and presence in the region.

Prior to Ferrero, Mr. Chibe was US chief marketing officer for Anheuser-Busch InBev. He also spent more than 10 years at Wrigley in senior marketing roles for its gum and mints brands. He began his career at Leaf, Inc., a confectionery company that was acquired by Hershey during his tenure.

“Since the outset of COVID-19, the confectionery category has shown incredible resilience, and we’ll emerge from this challenging time even stronger,” Mr. Chibe said. “As a category and industry, we have an instrumental role to play as we move toward economic recovery, and I look forward to working alongside my industry colleagues and the NCA team to advocate on behalf of our businesses, consumers and communities in which we operate.”

In addition to Mr. Chibe’s appointment as chairman, the NCA has named Barry Rosenbaum as vice chairman. Mr. Rosenbaum is president of Nassau Candy Distributors.

Six other industry leaders will join the association’s board, including:

  • Sarah Atkinson, Atkinson Candy Co.
  • Lisa Brasher, Jelly Belly Candy Co.
  • John Brooks Jr., Adams & Brooks
  • Julia Birnn Fields, Birnn Chocolates of Vermont
  • Troy Parris Pearley, Divine Chocolate
  • Rachel Sweet, Sweet Candy Co.

The NCA represents more than 550 member companies in the confectionery industry throughout the country.