Linda De Nadai has been appointed CEO of Unifrutti in Europe, while maintaining her current role of CEO of African operations with the mandate of greater integration between the two continents and the ambition to create a single platform capable of supplying European customers with fresh fruit all year round.

Unifrutti Group, one of the major players in the fresh fruit sector globally, announced in the first quarter of 2023 the appointment of De Nadai as CEO of Unifrutti Europe. 

De Nadai, who takes over from Gianluca Defendini as CEO of the European companies, consolidates Europe and Africa in her portfolio, maintaining the role of CEO of Unifrutti South Africa, a position she has held since 2015.

With over 25 years of professional experience spent at Unifrutti, De Nadai has a track record of driving excellence within the group and a deep knowledge of the global fruit market. Prior to accepting her mandate as CEO of Unifrutti South Africa, Linda held key roles in Europe, having served as manager of European sales in Italy and as CEO of Unifrutti Fresh, later consolidated into the current Unifrutti Europe.

“I am delighted and honored to continue my career at Unifrutti with the role of CEO Europe and Africa and I am grateful to the Board of Directors for their trust”, says De Nadai. “I am convinced of Unifrutti’s potential in these two strategic regions and committed to working towards sustainable growth in these markets together with our local teams and in cooperation with the other Unifrutti regions. The international network and bond that unites our group, the production windows in the two hemispheres, and the solid relationships along the entire value chain put us in a privileged position to ensure the availability of fresh and quality fruit on the tables of consumers in these markets 365 days per year.”

In recent years, the company has been steadily investing to increase its domestic production in Acquaviva, Puglia, and near Valdaso in the Marche region, where the group focuses on producing distinctive crops for European consumers. 

In 2020, Oranfrizer, a leading company in the production of Sicilian blood oranges, other citrus fruits and juices, and the Spanish Dimifruit, trader of vegetables grown according to integrated pest management practices, joined Unifrutti.

The appointment of De Nadai and the consolidation of the European and African regions under her direction represent the latest step in the international expansion path that Unifrutti Group has been pursuing for years and as part of which a majority stake in the group was recently acquired by ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company with substantial interests in the food and agriculture sector.