pladis CEO Cem Karakas stepping down

Jim Zaza to serve as interim ceo during search for successor.

pladis CEO Cem Karakas

Pladis CEO Cem Karakas will step down from his executive role for family health reasons, effective immediately, the biscuit, chocolate and confectionery company announced Monday.

Karakas, who took the company’s helm when pladis was formed in 2016, will also take a leave of absence from his role as deputy chairman of parent company Yildiz Holding. He will be retained as an adviser to the United Biscuits UK Board.

Jim Zaza, pladis senior board member and chairman of United Biscuits UK, will step into the role of interim pladis CEO. Zaza has been an executive on the pladis board since its inception. He has previously held senior executive positions at Pepsico, Black and Decker and Eastman Kodak.

The board has begun a formal search and selection process to identify a new ceo.

Alyse Thompson has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry Magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served as managing editor of Cannabis Products Magazine since March 2019. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.