Westfalia Fruit Group, one of the world’s largest fruit suppliers, has hired former Tesco UK boss Chris Bush as its new group CEO. 

Bush, who previously served as the UK managing director for Tesco, will take over from acting group CEO Rian du Toit, who will return to his role as Group CFO.

The appointment comes nearly six years after Bush was cleared of fraud charges related to Tesco’s £250m accounting scandal.

In 2018, a judge dismissed the case brought by the Serious Fraud Office against Bush and former colleague John Scouler, citing a lack of evidence. After being cleared of fraud charges, Bush reportedly sued Tesco for unfair dismissal.  

Bush brings almost four decades of experience in grocery retail to his new role at Westfalia. Most recently, he served as the divisional CEO of DFI Retail Group in South East Asia, overseeing 1,500 stores across seven countries for the group, which runs fascias including 7-Eleven and Robinsons department store.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

His extensive career includes 32 years at Tesco, where he held various leadership positions, including CEO of Tesco Thailand. 

Westfalia Fruit Group, founded 75 years ago, operates in 17 countries across five continents. The company specialises in avocados and offers a range of products including fresh fruit, avocado oil, guacamole and dried fruit. 

“I am both honoured and delighted to be joining an organisation that is so clearly dedicated to innovation, product quality and sustainability,” Bush said.

Dr Khotso Mokhele, chairman of Hans Merensky Holdings and Westfalia Fruit Group, cited Bush’s “exceptional strategic capabilities, proven operational effectiveness, and strong experience in retail” as reasons behind his appointment.