ERLANGER, KY – Confectioner Perfetti Van announces that, effective August 17, Sylvia Buxton has been named President and CEO of Perfetti Van Melle North America. Buxton is successor to Mehmet Yuksek, who last month announced he would be leaving Perfetti Van Melle and his position as President and CEO, North America.

Buxton is an accomplished marketing and business leader with more than 30 years of experience in consumer packaged goods (CPG). She joined Perfetti Van Melle in 2016 as vice president of marketing. Since then, she has led marketing strategy for the Airheads and Mentos brands.
Prior to joining Perfetti Van Melle, Buxton worked at The Hershey Company in such roles as Global Brand Director for Brookside and Senior Director of Americas Chocolate. Before joining Hershey,

Buxton worked in marketing at Reckitt & Colman in Canada.

“It is a pleasure to appoint Sylvia Buxton, from within our own global pool of executive talent, as successor to Mehmet Yuksek,” said Sameer Suneja, Global CEO of Perfetti Van Melle. “We are confident that, together with the leadership team in North America, she will continue to grow our business and strengthen our market position in North America.”

About Perfetti Van Melle:
Perfetti Van Melle is a privately owned global company that was established in March 2001 through the merger of Perfetti SpA and Van Melle Group B.V. Perfetti Van Melle manufactures and markets sugar confectionery and chewing gum products in more than 150 countries. Today, Perfetti Van Melle is one of the world’s largest confectionery groups, marketing highly renowned brands such as Mentos, Frisk, Chupa Chups, Smint, Fruittella, Alpenliebe, Golia, Vivident, Airheads, Happydent & Big Babol. The Group has corporate headquarters in Italy and The Netherlands. U.S. operations are operated solely out of Erlanger, KY.