Mr Blumentritt began his career at the French power plant manufacturer Alstom (subsequently bought over by General Electric) and the German Consulate-General in Australia before undertaking a variety of roles at global building materials company Holcim in Switzerland.

During his 12 year tenure with the business, Mr Blumentritt held positions including FP&A Manager Switzerland and Head of Accounting Central Europe West.

He has had longstanding family connections to the Aberdeen area even completing his MSc in Accounting and Finance at Aberdeen University last year. It was on a regular family visit that he got caught up in the COVID-19 lockdown.

Mr Blumentritt turned the situation into an opportunity by pursuing his long-held desire to relocate to Scotland. He made contact with executive search company FWB Park Brown, who had been engaged by Baxters to lead a search process to identify their new head of European finance to be based in Fochabers.

Almost all screening and job interviews were conducted virtually and Mr Blumentritt is now in position all while isolating in Peterhead. He is currently looking for a permanent family home in the wider Moray and Aberdeenshire area.

Clyde Marwick, Group HR director at Baxters Food Group, commented: “We have continued to attract top talent to our business, despite the unpredictable climate we are in. With FWB Park Brown’s support, we demonstrated an agile and creative assessment process, ending up with an exceptional candidate in Maik.

“He brings cross-country management experience and a track record in leading a robust compliance and business growth agenda to this critical role. Maik will be a valuable asset to the team as we tackle the post-COVID and post-Brexit trading world.”

Mr Blumentritt said: “It’s a real privilege to take on this role which is not only fulfilling my ambition to live and work in Scotland but doing so with one of its most iconic family businesses. I have gained extensive experience working across multiple European markets and it’s a great opportunity to develop this with an ambitious, ever evolving company like Baxters working in a sector with such potential for growth and innovation.”

Graham Burns, director of FWB Park Brown, added: “This is a really good example of how all parties involved have been able to adapt quickly, and use technology well, in circumstances that may become the new normal. We are delighted to have been of help to both Baxters Food Group and Maik in this appointment.”