Tim Cook takes the reins as president, CEO of Linxis Group

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Tim Cook takes the reins as president, CEO of Linxis Group

3 Nov 2021

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

NANTES, FRANCE — Linxis Group, a global leader in specialized equipment solutions including ingredient automation, mixing and portioning technology, has named Tim Cook as president and CEO.

Linxis Group is the parent company of Bakon, Diosna, Shick Esteve (Laramore), Unifiller and VMI, located respectively in The Netherlands, Germany, US, Canada and France, serving the industrial food, beverage and healthcare industries in more than 100 countries.

Through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions that have been made along with financial backer IK Partners, Linxis Group has grown to $280 million in revenue and has approximately 1,100 employees worldwide.

Cook is a 20-year baking industry veteran with more than three decades of experience overseeing operations and sales in food manufacturing equipment. He was promoted from his positions of CEO at Shick Esteve and VP of Linxis Group, where he has been instrumental in Linxis’ three-year strategic plan and cross-selling strategies across all five brands.

He joined Shick Esteve — then Shick Solutions — in 2012. In 2016, he oversaw its integration into Linxis Group and led the subsequent merger with Esteve in Rians, France, forming the Shick Esteve brand to serve the industry with a broader range of resources. The merger solidified Shick Esteve’s position as a global leader in food manufacturing.

Cook also oversaw the design and construction of a new 110,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing center and the addition of the 15,000-sq-ft Linxis North American Technology Center, which opened in 2020. Both facilities are located in Kansas City, MO, where customers from around the world can experience the technology from all Linxis Group brands and other partner companies.

“Our group has greatly increased our international presence since 2016,” said Didier Soumet, president of the Linxis Group supervisory board. “When planning the succession of Linxis Group leadership, I considered Tim’s industry experience as well as his personal and professional skills, and he was the obvious choice to lead our global group. I am very proud that our board confirmed this choice and that Tim has accepted. He, along with Anne Brifault, our VP and CFO, will truly personify Linxis Group’s strategic ambitions for synergistic growth worldwide.”

“When planning the succession of Linxis Group leadership, I considered Tim’s industry experience, as well as his personal and professional skills, and he was the obvious choice to lead our global group,” said Didier Soumet, president of the Linxis Group supervisory board.

In June, Cook was also named as BEMA’s 2021-22 board chair after serving on the association’s executive committee since 2018. His mission in this leadership role has focused on industry service, beginning with a fundraising effort for The Women’s Bakery, a Rwanda-based social enterprise bakery founded to empower women through access to gainful employment by producing and selling bread throughout East Africa.

“I want to stand on a platform of service and giving back to the industry,” Cook told Commercial Baking after the association’s annual convention in June. “This is how the culture of bread can spread across the continents.”

Kerwin Brown, BEMA president and CEO, noted Cook’s diverse experience in the food industry as the foundation for his contributions to BEMA.

“Tim’s experience in different industries has brought a fresh perspective to BEMA and the board,” Brown said. “He’s a strategic thinker, and he’s willing to knock down walls to accomplish the big goals. He has long-term vision and commitment, and he has an exceptional ability for developing future leaders.”

Before joining Shick Esteve, Cook held roles at AMF Bakery Systems, including VP of automation technologies before becoming VP of sales, marketing and product management. Prior to his time in the baking industry, he was VP of sales for Marlen International, a manufacturer of food processing equipment.

Cook’s focus on international business development began in 1987 with the Kansas Department of Commerce, where he lived and worked in China to develop trade between Kansas and the Henan Province.

With global strategies the team has executed through Cook’s leadership, Linxis Group is projecting significant growth and further expansion of its brands.

“Linxis Group has a fantastic culture of entrepreneurial spirit combined with a passion for continuous improvement,” Cook said. “We will leverage that culture to attract other market-leading brands to our group while simultaneously continuing our plans for organic growth. I am honored to lead this team of talented people as we expand our products and services globally for our customers.”

Cook will maintain residence in Kansas City with an office at the Linxis Group headquarters in France.

For more information on the Linxis Group and its family of brands, visit www.linxisgroup.com.

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