Noma Foods' new President for Southern Europe, Jon Fernández de Barrena, joins from the Spanish Alvinesa Natural Ingredients.
Photo: Alvinesa Natural Ingredients.
Earlier this month, Nomad Foods Limited announced its plans to strengthen its leadership structure with the appointment of two new Presidents, one for Southern Europe and one for Central Europe. The first of these, Jon Fernández de Barrena, assumes his new role today, April 13, 2026, leading the Southern Europe division of the frozen food company.
He joins Nomad Foods from the Spanish company Alvinesa Natural Ingredients, a firm specializing in the development of high-value-added natural ingredients intended, among others, for the aquaculture feed industry, where Fernández de Barrena had served as Chief Executive Officer since July 2023.
In this new role, a newly created position, he will be responsible for leading Nomad Foods' business in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the Adriatics, while whoever occupies later the position of President for Central Europe, will oversee the company's commercial operations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway.
According to Nomad Foods' release, in their respective roles, the Southern Europe and Central Europe Presidents will also lead the company's iconic portfolio of brands such as Findus, iglo, Ledo, and Frikom.
Both Jon Fernández de Barrena and the person who will assume the role of President for Central Europe will join the Executive Team and report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, Dominic Brisby, who took over from former CEO Stéfan Descheemaeker in November 2025, after the latter retired.
"These appointments represent an important step as we continue to strengthen our focus and unlock the full potential of our markets across Europe," stated Nomad Foods' CEO. "Both roles will help sharpen our commercial execution, enhance agility and create greater alignment between our local teams, our brands, and our long–term strategic priorities," he continued.
"I am delighted to welcome Jon this month and look forward to completing the appointment of our President for Central Europe later this year. Each leader will bring valuable expertise to our Executive Team and play a pivotal role in driving sustainable growth for Nomad Foods," Dominic Brisby added.
The news of these appointments organizing the company's responsibility across Europe follows Nomad Foods' appointment of Simon Ball as President UK & Ireland—responsible for the Birds Eye, Aunt Bessie's, and Goodfella's brands—in March 2026.
However, these will not be the last appointments at the leading European frozen food company, as it has also confirmed that it plans to appoint a Chief Marketing Officer, who, like the Southern Europe and Central Europe Presidents, will also join the Executive Team.
In this role, he or she will be responsible for leading a stronger and more unified marketing function that encompasses brand development, communications, RDQ (research, development, and quality), as well as innovation to drive stronger commercial outcomes.
