Blake Anderson has joined Fonterra Co-operative Group, taking up the newly created role of Director, Value Added Ingredients.

Anderson, who will be based in Fonterra's North American corporate headquarters in Chicago, will oversee Fonterra's ingredients operations in North America, Europe, Japan and South Korea, as well as key Fonterra relationships with global food companies.

Anderson, formerly of Symrise Inc, Campbell Soup Co and Dean Specialty Foods, will report directly to Andrei Mikhalevsky, Fonterra's Managing Director for Ingredients.

Anderson most recently held the position of President, Flavours and Nutrition Division, for Symrise's North American region.

Mikhalevsky said Blake's role will allow Fonterra to further strengthen relationships with key customers, and hone the company's focus on value added business.

Fonterra Ingredients sources high quality dairy ingredients for inclusion in specialty products and blended ingredients for customers in developed markets such as the US, Canada, Europe and Japan. It is focused on providing innovative dairy solutions in five product categories - cheese, cultured foods, paediatric nutrition, food services and functional nutrition.