Mondelez’s boss defended the company’s choice to keep operating in russia, but admitted he is “not pleased” that the firm’s taxes help fund the war against Ukraine, bbc.com reported.
Chief executive Dirk Van de Put said staying was the “right decision” after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, arguing that withdrawing would endanger thousands of jobs and could make Mondelez more vulnerable to kremlin control over its local operations. Mondelez said it has stopped new investment in its russian business and paused spending on advertising.Speaking in a detailed interview in the BBC’s Big Boss Interview series, Van de Put said: “I think over time you try to be neutral in the whole conflict. We’re not trying to take any side.”
He added: “I think we did the right thing for our people in russia. Can we be criticised for that? Yeah, of course. We pay taxes in russia that helps the war. I’m not pleased about that.”Since russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mondelez has earned annual sales in the range of USD 1bn to USD 1.4bn per year from the country.
“They would have confiscated our plant. It would have probably given them a much bigger source of income, keep on selling our products to fund the war,” irk Van de Put said.
