Brakes announces Karna’s promotion and McMeikan’s departure

Houston-based Sysco Corporation has appointed Ajoy H Karna senior vice president international foodservice operations – Europe. In this role he has responsibility for Brakes Group, which the US giant bought for $3.1 billion last year.

Ajoy H Karna, the new senior vice president international foodservice operations – Europe, for Sysco Corporation.

Ken McMeikan, who has been chief executive of Brakes for four years, will leave the company after a brief transitional period.

In a statement announcing the changes, Sysco’s president and chief operating officer Tom Bené said: “Since joining us (from PepsiCo) in 2012, Ajoy has demonstrated strong leadership qualities and has had a positive impact on our overall business.

“His responsibilities have been broad-ranging, including treasury, capital strategy and the execution of mergers and acquisitions. Most recently, he was responsible for leading the transition and alignment of the Sysco and Brakes Group finance teams.

“We will leverage his track record of driving results, strategic thinking and collaborative leadership style, in partnership with the solid leadership and deep operating experience of the Brakes team, to position for continued growth across all of Europe.”

Bené thanked McMeikan for his leadership and contribution to the successful transition of Brakes: “Under his direction, Brakes has enjoyed solid progress.”

Tel: Brakes Group (01233) 206000