Tony Ciccolnelli loses the new CFO

A press release from his new employer, Barentz International, shows that Terhorst will take over as chief financial officer there in September.

Managing Director Hidde van der Wal writes that he believes Terhorst has the skills and experience needed to take the company to the next stage of growth and expansion.

bond of trust

This is reminiscent of the wording with which Terhorst was brought up at Tony’s Chocolonely at the beginning of last year.

There he was also received as the man who, thanks to his many years of international experience in high financial positions in the Ahold supermarket group, was the ideal person to direct the international growth of the chocolatier.

An additional benefit was the trust that Tierhurst had with its owner Henk Jan Biltmann. Both men had known each other since the 1990s, from their studies at the University of Groningen.

sustainable and impact

In an interview, Terhorst said last year that he switched from Ahold to Tony’s Chocolonely because he wanted to work for a sustainable company with social impact.

He also said he is enjoying international growth for a smaller company. “I think it’s great to see if we can become a really big player with Tony in the US, and in the UK and Germany.”

new business owner

These challenges are not present in Terhorst’s new employer. With 1,750 employees and a turnover of more than 1.8 billion euros, Barentz International is much larger than the chocolate company, with 179 employees and a turnover of only 89 million euros.

The components company from Hoofddorp is located in 60 countries and is not particularly well known for its sustainable or social purpose.

difference in vision

Chamber of Commerce record shows Terhorst resigned as director at Tony’s Chocolonely at the end of February. Marketing Director Thecla Schaeffer confirmed that the CFO has already resigned. “It was because Tony had a different point of view.”

Schaeffer cannot say exactly what the difference is in the vision. “After closing the deal with our new investors Verlinvest and Jamjar, Tony has proven to be less of a challenge than he had hoped. He feels completely at home with his new employer in that regard.”

Terhorst himself was unreachable for an explanation. He has since been succeeded by Jean Houge in the Chocolate Company, who, like his predecessor, has a past in Ahold.