New managing director for Vafo Praha

Czech manufacturer of superpremium pet food, Vafo Praha, kicks off the new year with a major change in leadership: Milan Bartoš, who until now has served as head of sales, has been appointed to the position of managing director of one of three newly established companies created within a restructuring process.  Jakub Majer, who until now served as managing director of Vafo Praha, becomes the managing director of Vafo Production, the company announces in a media release. He will focus on the development and management of all our production facilities and is also one of the five Board Members of the Vafo Group.

Milan Bartoš has been with Vafo Praha for 12 years and has worked in the pet food industry for more than 15 years. He began his career in retail positions, later moving into the sales and purchasing departments. He joined the company in 2013 as a sales manager, and from 2018 was responsible for the management of private-label brands. For the past five years, he has led the company’s sales department.

‘We’re entering a new phase of growth in which we aim to be one of the most responsive and forward-looking companies on the European pet food market,’ Bartoš said. ‘The landscape is changing faster than ever before, which is why we’re basing our strategy on adaptability, data, and the strength of our brands. Our goal is not only growth, but also the creation of solutions for new challenges across individual sales channels, from specialist stores and the modern market to e-commerce and a direct relationship with the customer.’ The brands should continue to help partners succeed in the market, rather than just following it.

Bartoš assumes the position of Managing Director of Vafo Praha following the company’s restructuring at the beginning of the year. The move is driven by the dynamic growth of recent years, with the aim of streamlining management, clearly defining responsibilities, and strengthening the specialization of individual parts of the business. The newly created companies reflect the main pillars of the group’s activities.

Vafo Praha will now focus exclusively on the flagship brands Brit and Carnilove, while private-label products and smaller brands have been transferred to a new entity, Vafo Private Labels. The third newly established company, Vafo Production, brings together manufacturing plants in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Three companies — three leaders

The restructuring concerns three principal areas of the company’s operations:

Vafo Praha, s.r.o. continues to oversee sales and marketing activities related exclusively to its own flagship brands, such as Brit and Carnilove. The company is now headed by Milan Bartoš.

Vafo Private Labels, s.r.o. focuses on the development and management of private-label products and smaller brands for domestic and international partners. It is led by Michal Vinický, an experienced commercial leader with nearly a decade of experience in the private label pet food segment.

Vafo Production, s.r.o. encompasses all existing manufacturing plants in the Czech Republic as well as four abroad, located in Estonia, Finland, and Poland. Under the leadership of Jakub Majer, who until now served as managing director of Vafo Praha, the company will also be responsible for additional production capacities that the group plans to open in the future.

The division represents a natural step in the company’s development and corresponds to the Vafo 2030 strategy, which structures the group into commercial organisations and an international manufacturing service team, the company states.

‘Vafo is entering another stage of its development,’ Jakub Majer explained. ‘We have been growing in a long-term and systematic manner, so it’s essential for us to have a clearly defined structure that allows us to continue strengthening our brands, developing production, and responding flexibly to market needs.’

Majer adds, that ‘the new arrangement gives individual teams greater scope to focus on what they do best, while at the same time creating a solid foundation for further expansion both domestically and internationally.’

The organizational change will not affect employees or clients. All three companies remain part of Vafo Group, continue to share the same values, and will work closely together across the group, Vafo promises.