01—Abstract
Summary
Summary of the 8-K filed January 30, 2026. Cited figures are marked; the original filing is the authoritative source.
Mondelēz International (Nasdaq: MDLZ) announced on January 29, 2026 that Chief Financial Officer Luca Zaramella has been appointed Chief Operating Officer effective February 1, 2026, while retaining his CFO role.
The 8-K (Items 5.02, 7.01, and 9.01) discloses his 2026 compensation package as COO: a $1,250,000a base salary, a 150% target annual incentive, and a long-term incentive target value of $7,225,000, along with limited aircraft-use privileges subject to company policy. Zaramella, 56, has been CFO since August 2018 and has been with the company since 1996, so the appointment consolidates a long-tenured insider's operational knowledge into an expanded executive role. The expanded mandate is significant.
As COO, Zaramella will oversee commercial operations across the company's four geographic regions, as well as corporate sales, marketing, and supply chain, in addition to his existing finance, procurement, IT, and shared-services responsibilities. Management framed the move as a way to sharpen "executional excellence and commercial performance" in a dynamic operating environment, and CEO Dirk Van de Put said the change is meant to accelerate performance under the company's growth agenda. Zaramella will continue to report directly to the Chair and CEO.
The key open item for investors is CFO succession: the company is conducting a search for a permanent CFO and expects to name a successor at a later date. Until then, Zaramella holds two demanding roles at once, which raises execution-bandwidth and key-person considerations. The filing itself contains no financial results or guidance changes, so the impact on the company's financial outlook is limited to how the leadership transition is executed.
02—Key points
Key Highlights
- Luca Zaramella, current EVP and CFO since August 2018, appointed Chief Operating Officer effective February 1, 2026, while retaining the CFO title
- COO remit covers commercial operations in four geographic regions plus corporate sales, marketing, and supply chain functions
- 2026 COO compensation: $1,250,000 base salary, 150% target annual incentive, and $7,225,000 target long-term incentive value
- Company is conducting a search for a new CFO and expects to announce a successor at a later date
- Zaramella continues to report directly to Chair and CEO Dirk Van de Put
- Zaramella joined Mondelēz in 1996 and has held senior finance roles across Latin America, Europe, and North America
- Press release issued January 29, 2026 is furnished under Item 7.01 (Exhibit 99.1) and not deemed filed under the Exchange Act
03—Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Luca Zaramella and what is his new role?
Luca Zaramella, age 56, is Mondelēz's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, a role he has held since August 2018. Effective February 1, 2026, he is also appointed Chief Operating Officer, retaining his CFO responsibilities.
What will the COO role cover?
As COO, Zaramella will be responsible for the company's commercial operations across its four geographical regions, along with corporate sales, marketing, and supply chain functions. He keeps his existing CFO oversight of Finance, Procurement, Information and Technology Solutions, and shared services.
What compensation was approved for the new role?
The People and Compensation Committee approved a 2026 annual base salary of $1,250,000, a target annual incentive of 150% of base salary, and a long-term incentive opportunity with a target value of $7,225,000. He also received approval for reasonable business and limited personal use of company aircraft, subject to company policy.
Has Mondelēz named a new CFO?
Not yet. The company says it is conducting a search for a CFO and expects to announce a successor at a later date. Zaramella will serve as CFO while also serving as COO in the interim.
Does this filing change the company's financial outlook?
The filing contains no financial results, guidance, or outlook changes. Its investor relevance lies in leadership structure: consolidating operational and finance oversight under one executive and the pending CFO search are the key items to monitor.
04—Continue