Commenting on the appointment, David Iakobachvili, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Sergei Plastinin, current CEO, said in a joint statement: �We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Tony Maher as Chief Executive Officer.Tony is known in the market as a top professional, a capable strategist and a thorough hands-on manager. His 30 year track record within the Coca-Cola system was truly impressive, consistently delivering profitable growth as well as overseeing a significant number of acquisitions, including the purchase of the entire Coca-Cola franchise for Russa, and more recently, the Multon juice company. Mr Maher has demonstrated his talent for running a range of beverage and food businesses across a number of European markets, while relentlessly removing non value-added costs. We look forward to working with him to further build on the growth and expansion of the Wimm-Bill-Dann�s food business.� �I am thrilled at this new and challenging step in my career,� � Tony Maher said. �I have been working in the Russian market for more than a decade, witnessing Wimm-Bill-Dann growing from a small local manufacturer into a NYSE listed food conglomerate with strong brands and significant assets. I am looking forward to deploying at Wimm-Bill-Dann my extensive knowledge of running similar businesses, and working to enhance the company�s brands, sales and distribution systems and the overall effectiveness. I see exciting prospects for growth across all of Wimm-Bill-Dann�s businesses: dairy, juice, baby food and water. I am also looking forward to working with Wimm-Bill-Dann�s senior management and over 17,000 employees to continue the growth of this great company.� �I have known Tony reasonably well for quite some time now,� � Sergei Plastinin said. �We have been talking for almost a year, discussing our vision of the company today and in the future. I am confident that Tony is exactly the right person for the next stage of Wimm-Bill-Dann�s development and that his arrival here is positive news for the company and its shareholders.� Mr Iakobachvili added: �This transition takes place at an opportune time for the company. After strong results in 2005, new operational management will help us win further efficiency gains in 2006 and beyond. I believe Sergei Plastinin and his team have done a good job, particularly in turning around profitability growth over the last year, following the company�s rapid geographic expansion. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Sergei on the Board of Directors and benefitting from his experience and insight.� Mr Maher was born in Ireland and has worked in a variety of senior roles in Western, Central and Eastern European markets within the Coca-Cola system. He served as Region Managing Director for CCHBC, a company listed on the New York and Athens Stock Exchanges, where he was responsible for a region covering approximately half of the company�s business. CCHBC has a product portfolio of soft drinks, water, juice, ice tea, energy and sports drinks, including both its own brands and those of Coca-Cola Company.