Cristal Union, the cooperative group which is amongst the top European producers of sugar, alcohol and bioethanol, with a turnover of €1.7 billion in 2021, has announced three appointments to the top roles on its Management Committee, starting from January 2022.
By a decision of the Board of Directors, Xavier Astolfi, Assistant General Manager, is appointed General Manager of Cristal Union. He takes over this role from Alain Commissaire. Further to this decision, Xavier Astolfi has appointed:
Stanislas Bouchard, Assistant General Manager of Cristal Union. He retains his functions as General Manager of Cristalco, Cristal Union’s commercial arm.
Vanina Paolaggi, General Secretary of Cristal Union. She takes over this role from Jean-François Javoy.
Alain Commissaire
As General Manager of Cristal Union since its creation in 2000, I am proud to have been able to transform the Group and rise to numerous challenges, such as the end of sugar quotas in 2017. I have worked with Xavier Astolfi since 2012. Confident in his future direction, in line with the strategic goals set out by the Cristal Union Board of Directors, it is with great peace-of-mind that I hand over the reins today.
Xavier Astolfi General Manager
Since the end of quotas in 2017, we have relied on the strength of Cristal Union's cooperative model to transform the business - we repositioned ourselves in the European market, refreshed our product ranges and strengthened our industrial performance. I would like to thank the Board of Directors for the trust they have placed in me to address future challenges and to propose new strategic development goals. I know that I can rely on the skills of everyone within the Group to meet our customers' expectations. I will be supported in this task by Stanislas Bouchard, Assistant General Manager, Vanina Paolaggi, General Secretary and by the entire Management Committee.
Olivier de Bohan CEO of Cristal Union
The advantages of our cooperative group are its stable and solid governance and the strength of our collective effort. The Cristal Union Board of Directors and Management Committee have always come together to find solutions ahead of time, in order to respond to the challenges faced by our sector. May I take this opportunity to thank Alain Commissaire and Jean-François Javoy for all their work since the Group's creation, and their essential contribution to the great success that Cristal Union has become today. With Xavier Astolfi, Stanislas Bouchard, Vanina Paolaggi and the entire Management Committee, it is with great confidence and peace-of-mind that we are opening a new chapter for Cristal Union.
Xavier Astolfi, General Manager of Cristal Union.
Xavier Astolfi began his career in the financial sector, on the trading floor of the Compagnie Parisienne de Réescompte. He very quickly moved into the sugar industry as a manufacturing and maintenance engineer before being appointed to agricultural and then industrial management roles, and then as General Manager of Groupe Vermandoise in 2008. Since the buyout by Cristal Union in 2012, Xavier Astolfi has occupied the position of Assistant General Manager of the Group. Xavier Astolfi is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris.
Stanislas Bouchard, Assistant General Manager of Cristal Union – General Manager of CristalCo.
Stanislas Bouchard began his career with the Sucre Union Group as a financial analyst and cash manager, moving into export management and the general secretariat following the merger with Saint Louis Sucre. Upon the Group’s creation in 2000, he took over management of Cristalco, Cristal Union’s commercial arm (sugar, alcohol, bioethanol, etc.). A graduate of Université Paris II and Sciences Po Paris, he also studied business management and gained an MBA from Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA.
Vanina Paolaggi, General Secretary of Cristal Union.
Previously a business lawyer, Vanina Paolaggi spent 20 years as a partner with prestigious legal practices in France and around the world. Throughout this time, she advised mostly industrial and institutional clients, both French and international, on all types of corporate financial transactions and in particular mergers and acquisitions and strategy. She is a graduate of Université Paris II (DESS – Master – DJCE). She joined the Cristal Union Management Committee in September 2021, after having been an adviser to the Cristal Union Group for the previous 20 years.
About Cristal Union:
Cristal Union Group is among the leading European producers of sugar, alcohol and bioethanol. It is primarily based in France and generates a large proportion of its sales abroad. The Group consists of 2,000 employees and 9,000 members of the cooperative. Its governance, structure and operations are based on the cooperative model.
About Cristalco:
Cristal Union’s commercial arm, Cristalco serves 2,500 clients in more than 100 countries. European leader in the sugar, alcohol and bioethanol markets, Cristalco markets and sells beet and cane sugar, ethyl alcohol from beet and wheat, conventional and advanced bioethanol and ingredients made from the stevia plant. Cristalco has transformed the food sugar sector, with the launch in 2020 of a unique new range packaged in recyclable kraft paper for its DADDY brand. Cristalco sugar products are marketed under the DADDY, ERSTEIN and ERIDANIA brands.
Alain Commissaire
