Ontex Names New CFO

Ontex has named Stéphane Re as Group CFO and member of the executive nanagement committee, effective September 14, 2026. He will succeed Geert Peeters, who will pursue a new chapter in his professional career. Geert will support Stéphane to ensure a smooth transition. 

Stéphane Re, a Swiss national, joins Ontex from Partner in Pet Food (PPF), a major European private label and branded pet food manufacturer owned by CVC and Cinven private equity funds, where, as group CFO, he led a comprehensive change program. Before that, between 2014 and 2021, he served as froup CFO of Thai Union Europe/MW Brands, playing a key role in transforming the pan-European leader in private label and branded packaged seafood. From 1999 to 2014, Stéphane held senior finance roles at Nestlé, across Europe and Asia. Re started his career in 1997 in Corporate Finance with Credit Suisse First Boston in Geneva.  

Geert Peeters joined Ontex in December 2023 to lead our Finance and IT organizations.  Under Geert’s leadership, the company successfully completed the refinancing of its senior debt, completed the divestment of its Emerging Markets businesses, and developed an ambitious digitalization program.  Geert was also instrumental to several of Ontex’s cost transformation initiatives. 

Laurent Nielly, Ontex’s CEO, says: “I am delighted to welcome Stéphane Re as our new Group CFO. I  am convinced that Stéphane’s experience and track record in driving complex transformationand value creation programs will be invaluable to Ontex, as we enter into a new phase to transform our business in Europe and North America to become leaner, more efficient, and structurally cash-flow generating. Together with our new Transformation Management Office (TMO), Stéphane will take a key role in coordinating the transformation of our European and North American businesses in line with the conclusions of our strategic review. I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to Geert for his many valuable contributions to Ontex’s turn-around over the past three years.”