The Valora Group with its registered office in Muttenz in Switzerland is the European retail unit of Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA).
Organisation chart of the Valora Group
Members of the Group Leadership Team
Michael Mueller
1972, Swiss citizen
CEO Valora Group
Career highlights:
Michael Mueller joined Valora on 1 November 2012, initially as CFO of Valora Holding AG and since 1 March 2014 he has been the CEO. As Head Europe FEMSA Proximity & Health, he has also headed the European retail unit of Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA) since November 2023. Michael Mueller has also been Chairman of Valora Holding AG since February 2024. Prior he was the Owner & Managing Director of Rubus Capital Management Ltd. between 2010 and 2012, CEO/Delegate and Member of the Board of Directors of Jelmoli Holding AG between 2007 and 2010 as well as CEO of GVO Asset Management Ltd. between 2007 and 2009. Before this, he was a merger & acquisitions advisor in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and he worked for Bain & Company as a strategy consultant in strategic transformation and restructuring programmes. In addition to his role at Valora, Michael Mueller is a member of the Board of Directors of SV Group since 2024.
Qualifications:
Master’s degree in Law (lic. iur. HSG) from the University of St. Gallen.
Beat Fellmann
1964, Swiss citizen
CFO Valora Group
Career highlights:
Beat Fellmann has been CFO of the Valora Group and a member of Group Leadership team since 1 July, 2020. Beat Fellmann has also been a member of the board of directors of Valora Holding AG since February 2024. He was previously CFO and Head Corporate Center at Implenia and a member of the Group Executive Board from 2008 to 2019 before he moved on to Exyte AG in Stuttgart as a member of the Executive Board. He began his career at the international industrial company Bühler, and in 1998 he switched to the Holcim Group. There he was responsible for all the finance and holding companies worldwide. In 2005, he was appointed deputy Group CFO. In addition to his role at Valora, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Vitra Holding AG since 2016, a member of the Board of Directors of Helvetia Holding AG since 2018 and a member of the Swiss Takeover Board since 2014.
Qualifications:
Master’s degree in Business Economics (lic. oec. HSG) from the University of St. Gallen and Swiss Certified Public Accountant.
Gabriel de Hoyos
1982, Mexican citizen
CHRO Valora Group
Career highlights:
Gabriel de Hoyos has been Chief Human Resources Officer at the Valora Group since August 1, 2024 and member of the Valora Group Leadership Team since September 1, 2024. Before joining Valora, he was Human Resources Director at OXXO Mexico, where he was responsible for human resources issues at over 22,000 OXXO points of sale. From 2011 to 2021, he held various management positions within the FEMSA Group in Mexico. Prior to this, he had a career at Heineken where he attended different Human Resources and Finance responsibilities.
Qualifications:
Master’s degree in Business Administration and Professional degree in Financial Management from Monterrey Tec
Laetitia Henriot Arsever
1981, Swiss and French Citizen
CIO Valora Group
Career highlights:
Laetitia Henriot Arsever joined Valora on 1 November 2022, initially as Head of Group IT & Digital. Since 1 September 2024, she has been Chief Information Officer and member of the Group Leadership Team of the Valora Group. Before joining Valora, she was Head of Technology, Strategy & Steering at Swiss Post, from 2020 to 2022. Prior to that, she served as Chief Information Officer EMEA at Schindler from 2018 to 2020 and established the digital innovation hub. Laetitia also held various roles as part of the Schindler Career Development Program for high performers, including Finance Controller UK and Ireland, Service Leader, and SAP Program Management Officer. She began her career as a Senior Technology Analyst at BearingPoint in 2008. Laetitia is also a member of the EPFL Alumni Council.
Qualifications:
Master’s degree in Computer Science from EPFL
Adriano Margiotta
1966, Swiss and Italian citizen
Head of Group Legal, Compliance & Sustainability.
Career highlights:
Adriano Margiotta joined Valora on February 1, 2010, initially as General Counsel, and as Secretary to the Board of Directors of Valora Holding AG. In addition, in February 2019 he was appointed Head of Sustainability of the Valora Group. Since September 1, 2024, he has been member of the Valora Group Leadership team. Prior to joining Valora, Adriano Margiotta spent approximately a decade working in the financial sector, with experience in investment banking and private banking at international big banks, and in public M&A at the Swiss Takeover Board. In addition, he previously gained professional experience in a big law firm in Zurich. He also served as member of the Regulatory Board and the Issuers Committee of the SIX Swiss Exchange for more than 10 years. He began his professional career in 1994 as an economic assistant at the Institute of Law at the University of St.Gallen (HSG).
Qualifications:
Master’s Degree in Law (lic. iur. HSG) and Ph.D. in Law (Dr. iur. HSG) from the University of St. Gallen. Admission to the bar of the Canton of Zurich. Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Corporate Finance from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts / Institute for Financial Services of Lucerne.
Sebastian Gooding
1982, German and English citizen
CEO Food Service B2B
Career highlights:
Sebastian Gooding joined Valora on 18 January 2019, initially as Managing Director of Production/B2B at the Ditsch pretzel bakery and since the first of July 2024 he has been the CEO Food Service B2B and member of the Group Leadership team. Prior to that, he was with the Swiss convenience bakery group Aryzta, where he held various roles at Aryzta’s business units in several European countries and served as CEO of Central & Eastern Europe from 2015 to 2018. He launched his professional career in 2003 as a finance graduate at the international food manufacturer Kerry Group in Ireland.
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business & Economics from Durham University.
Sebastian Kayser
1981, German citizen
CEO Food Service B2C
Career highlights:
Sebastian Kayser joined Valora on 1 February 2023, initially as Managing Director of Valora Food Service Germany and since the 1st of July 2024 he has been the CEO Food Service B2C and member of the Group Leadership team. Before joining Valora, he worked for YUM! Brands, where he drove the expansion of the KFC restaurants in the DACH region and Denmark, and most recently managed KFC’s operations in these markets as its General Manager. From 2015 to 2020, he held various management positions within the REWE Group in Germany and Austria. Prior to that, he spent four years managing projects at Boston Consulting Group that were focused on growth strategies and transformation.
Qualifications:
Business Diploma from WHU Otto Beisheim School of Managemen and MBA from Lancaster University Management School.
Roger Vogt
1977, Swiss citizen
CEO Retail
Career highlights:
Roger Vogt joined Valora on 1 January 2018 as CEO Retail Switzerland. Since 1 January 2019, he has been CEO of the Retail division and member of the Group Leadership team. From 2014, Roger Vogt was Head of Sales Region Northwestern Switzerland, Central Switzerland and Zurich at Coop. He previously managed the Central Switzerland and Zurich sales region for around four years. Before this, he had started out at Coop in 1996 as a butcher. He went on to manage various Coop sales outlets, before assuming the role of sales manager and ultimately heading up the sales area.
Qualifications:
Executive MBA at the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich (HWZ)