Meet the team

Skills and experience: Cem became Chairman of Glacier in January 2025. He brings over 20 years of global leadership experience across food, consumer goods and industrial sectors, with a strong record in M&A, integration, capital markets and large-scale transformation. Cem is also a Partner at Afendis Capital Management, where he champions operational excellence and long-term value creation across its portfolio companies.

Before Afendis, he was CEO of Pladis Global – the international snacking company behind McVitie’s and Jacob's – and previously served as Executive Deputy Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Yıldız Holding, the largest food conglomerate in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He has also held senior finance and board roles at Godiva Chocolatier and Erdemir Group.

Key responsibilities: Cem chairs the Glacier Board, guiding the Group’s strategic direction, governance and growth agenda in partnership with the Afendis Capital Management team.

Favourite Glacier creation: Choco Sandwich – simple, satisfying and proof that great products speak for themselves.

Skills and experience: Matt was appointed Executive Director of Glacier in September 2025. With more than 30 years’ experience in the food industry, he has held senior leadership roles across retail, manufacturing and brand-led organisations. His career has spanned large-scale commercial operations, new product development, and business transformation across the UK, and the Middle East.

Before joining Glacier, Matt was Chief Executive Officer of Hexcite Group, and previously held leadership positions at Spinneys (Dubai), Waitrose, Wal-Mart and Asda. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director at MOTH Drinks and as an advisor to Wheyhey, both fast-growing consumer brands.

Key responsibilities: Matt leads the Glacier executive team and is responsible for delivering growth, innovation and operational excellence across the Group, ensuring Glacier continues to create exceptional products for customers and consumers alike.

Favourite Glacier creation: Chantilly Cone – the perfect and most indulgent cone in every way.

Skills and experience: Yekta was appointed Chief Technology and Information Officer of Glacier in September 2025. With more than 30 years’ experience in information technology, he has held senior leadership roles in sectors including home appliances, financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, retail and food. Throughout his career, he has led large-scale digital transformation programmes and defined and delivered technology strategies for major multinational corporations.

Before joining Glacier, Yekta was Global Chief Information Officer of Beko Corporation and previously held leadership positions at Pladis, Alshaya, Citibank, Sandoz and Vodafone.

Key responsibilities: Yekta is responsible for shaping and executing Glacier’s strategic technology roadmap, driving digital transformation and harnessing data and AI to enhance performance and customer experience.

Favourite Glacier creation: Friscos – ice cream coated in chocolate, deliciousness on a stick!

Skills and experience: Julie was appointed Chief People Officer of Glacier in October 2025. With over 20 years of experience in People and Transformation, she has held senior leadership roles across both manufacturing and technology organisations. Her career has spanned large scale multinational businesses globally, with expertise ranging from generalist People leadership to, over the last decade, a deep focus on the People aspects of M&A, organisational design, and transformational change.

Before joining Glacier, Julie was Senior Vice President, People at Infarm Technologies, and previously held leadership positions at Infarm Indoor Urban Farming, Colt Technology, Amdocs and Smiths Group. She also currently serves as a strategic advisor to Liminal, a GenAI storytelling company.

Key responsibilities: As Chief People Officer, Julie leads Glacier’s People strategy and agenda, fostering a culture that enables growth, innovation, and inclusion across the organisation. With a key focus on ensuring that every Glacier team member has the best possible experience and access to opportunities for learning, development, and career growth.

Favourite Glacier creation: Almond jumbo stick – one is never enough!

Skills and experience: Chris was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Glacier in 2025. With more than 20 years’ experience in the food and beverage sector, he has led transformational supply-chain strategies spanning manufacturing, logistics, procurement and sustainability. His career spans both high-growth challenger brands and global FMCG leaders, with a consistent focus on operational excellence and margin improvement.

Before joining Glacier, Chris was Chief Supply Chain Officer at BrewDog, where he delivered a major productivity programme and led transformation across the supply network. He previously held senior roles at Warp Snacks, Innocent Drinks and PepsiCo, including leading the €270 million investment in Innocent’s first carbon-neutral factory and overseeing large-scale capital projects and network optimisation.

Key responsibilities: Chris oversees Glacier’s manufacturing, planning, logistics and continuous-improvement functions, driving efficiency, strategic transformation and sustainable performance to build world-class operations across the Group.

Favourite Glacier creation: Vanilla ice cream cake with layers of crisp chocolate – precise and complex, appealing to the engineer in him, and every bit as delicious as it is iconic.

Skills and experience: Rut was appointed Chief Growth Officer of Glacier in September 2025. With more than 25 years’ experience in the food industry, she has held senior leadership roles in manufacturing across B2B and private-label organisations. Her career has spanned new product development, market expansion in the USA, Mexico and the UK, and global business transformation.

Before joining Glacier, Rut was Chief Executive Officer of Cerealto, where she previously held a range of leadership positions in Spain and internationally. She also serves as a Board Member at DIA, the retailer operating in Spain and Argentina.

Key responsibilities: Rut leads Glacier’s inorganic growth strategy, driving expansion and creating platforms for growth in strategic markets with both existing and new customers.

Favourite Glacier creation: Fruit lollies – full of flavour and refreshingly simple.

Skills and experience: Tunc Tezel was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer of Glacier in May 2026. He brings extensive international experience in senior finance leadership roles within consumer products, having lived and worked in 11 countries across the EMEA region.

Tunc began his career at Gillette/P&G, where he focused on business partnering, commercial support and acquisition integration. He later joined BAT, expanding his responsibilities to distribution, working capital improvement and large-scale acquisition and system integrations. He then served as Europe CFO at Pladis, supporting the integration of United Biscuits, Godiva and Ülker while strengthening profitability across the region. Most recently, Tunc was Europe CFO and VP FP&A at Ontex in Belgium, the world’s largest private-label producer of hygiene products, where he helped return the business to growth and further improve financial performance, while integrating institutional business with retail business.

Tunc strongly believes that integration is a key enabler of success, a focus that aligns closely with Glacier’s ambition to further integrate existing sites and successfully welcome future acquisitions under one unified organization.

Key responsibilities: As Group CFO, Tunc leads Glacier’s finance function and plays a key role in supporting the group’s strategic ambitions. He is responsible for financial performance, strategic planning, integration and value creation.

Favourite Glacier creation: Dubai chocolate bonbon with pistachio – rich, indulgent and irresistibly refined.

Skills and experience: Marco was appointed Chief Revenue Officer of Glacier in April 2025. With more than 25 years’ international experience in the FMCG sector, he has built a career spanning commercial, operational and general management leadership across global food businesses. For the past nine years, he has led the growth of our Italian business, driving innovation, international expansion and commercial excellence.

He began his career in consulting and built a strong foundation in finance before joining Danone’s headquarters in Paris, where he contributed to the Group’s expansion across the Americas and Asia through both M&A and organic growth. He later served as Chief Executive Officer of Gelato d’Italia and held senior general management positions leading divisions and companies across multiple areas of the food industry.

Key responsibilities: Marco oversees Glacier’s revenue-generating functions – including R&D, Retail, Business Development and B2B – driving innovation, market expansion and customer partnerships to deliver sustainable growth across all channels.

Favourite Glacier creation: Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites: perfect size for a snack anytime.

Skills and experience: Bert was appointed Chief Strategy Officer of Glacier in September 2025. With 45 years’ experience in the food industry – including three decades in the ice cream sector – he brings deep expertise in innovation, operations and strategic growth across private-label and branded businesses.

Before joining Glacier, Bert spent 23 years as Managing Director of Ysco, one of Europe’s leading private-label ice cream manufacturers. During his tenure, he drove product innovation, strengthened customer partnerships, expanded the portfolio and embedded sustainable practices, helping position the company as a trusted supplier to retailers across the region.

Key responsibilities: Bert leads Glacier’s strategic agenda, guiding long-term growth, integration and innovation across the Group, and ensuring the business continues to deliver value for customers and consumers.

Favourite Glacier creation: Plain vanilla ice cream – simple, timeless and proof that true quality speaks for itself.