Omar Hoek appointed CEO of The Vita Group

Omar Hoek

Omar Hoek has been appointed the new CEO of The Vita Group, Middleton, succeeding Ian Robb, who has stood down as planned from the role as part of Vita’s succession strategy.

With a stellar career spanning over three decades across diverse industries, Omar brings a unique blend of cultural leadership, industry expertise, and a deep understanding of market dynamics to the helm of one of Europe's premier providers of flexible PU foam.

Omar’s career has included a nearly 20-year tenure at Avery Dennison (the world's largest packaging and lamination US multinational), and a two-year stint as Director at Newell in Geneva, focusing on the microfiber business.

Omar spent a decade at Ahlstrom, a prominent global speciality fibre company based in Finland, followed most recently by four years at MATIV, a spin-off of Kimberly Clark, speciality materials in the USA.

His journey has seen him manage global organisations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, encompassing roles in supply chain, product management, sales, strategy, procurement, OPEX, Six Sigma, M&A, organisational design, and P&L.

Through his career so far, Omar has overseen a diverse spectrum of business segments, from packaging to healthcare to construction, and is now venturing into the foam industry.

Vita says his forward-thinking approach to leadership focuses on spearheading innovation, creativity, sustainability, and a customer-centric mindset which will underpin the company's growth strategy, whilst remaining focused on continuing with the group’s goal of prioritising safety.

Mr Hoek said: “I am delighted to be joining Vita, an ambitious company characterised by a distinctly entrepreneurial spirit. The outstanding team Ian has assembled here is a testament to his leadership and provides us with the platform to continue our expansion across Europe.

“Partnering with the team at Strategic Value Partners, I’m confident that we’ll jointly take Vita to the next horizon of growth, building in particular on the strong sustainability credentials of the business. These are exciting times ahead, and I'm excited to be getting underway.”

John Brantl, Co-Head of the European investment team at Strategic Value Partners, added: “We’d like to thank Ian for his invaluable contributions over the past four years and wish him well in his endeavours. As well as leading the business through the pandemic, he’s played an integral role in not only scaling the business profitably but also building a values-based culture with sustainability at its heart.

“Omar’s track record of defining a clear strategic path forward, realising execution plans and empowering highly talented people speaks for itself, and we’re hugely excited at the prospect of partnering with him and the rest of the team going forward.”