New CEO at PEZ AG: Leopold Hainy takes over leadership
A new generation takes over at PEZ as Manfred Födermayr, who has been at the helm of the international confectionery manufacturer for over 25 years, hands over leadership to Leopold Hainy in July 2025.
On the one hand, the new CEO will keep moving ahead with the Traun-based (Upper Austria) company’s tried-and-tested strategies and also broaden its target group with new product lines on the other hand. There are also plans to drive forward digitalisation and focus on sustainability policies.
The outgoing CEO Manfred Födermayr assumed leadership of PEZ AG in 1999 in a difficult financial position. Today, he is proud to hand over a sound company with a revenue of around 150 million euros (2024) and an equity ratio of 84 percent. The export share is 93 percent. “PEZ would not have been successful if it wasn’t for internationalisation,” emphasises Födermayr.
“Since 2000, over 1.5 billion PEZ dispensers have been sold globally and around five billion PEZ candies are produced annually,” Födermayr explains further. “We know that sugar and plastic aren’t without their problems. However, we view dispensers not as throw-away products, but rather as collectors’ items.” Around 32 new licensed dispensers are launched onto the market annually. On top of this, there are other themed dispensers which are developed in house. All this ensures that PEZ has long not only been popular with children, but also sought-after by collectors all over the world.
“PEZ candies have the advantage that each individual pack only contains very small quantities, meaning the amount of sugar you are consuming remains manageable,” adds Hainy. In the future, he also wants to establish a fruit gum range under the PEZ brand. The PEZ Group will continue on investing in product lines aimed at health-conscious people and athletes. “Fruit gums and fizzy products fortified with vitamins and other supplements are already a strong product segment in the USA. This trend is also already apparent at our company and will have even further momentum over the next few years,” explains Hainy. An expansion of the organic segment is also planned. The top global licences from the worlds of film and gaming will continue to be available as PEZ dispensers.
The foundations for PEZ were laid in 1927 when Eduard Haas III, a businessman from the surroundings of Linz, developed a peppermint pastille and started selling it. The refreshing candies were first sold in tins, but that was too unhygienic for Haas. This is why he had PEZ dispensers developed and they were finally launched onto the market in 1949. Since the product was aimed at smokers to consume a pastille instead of smoking a cigarette back then, the first dispenser was shaped like a lighter. It was only in the 1950s that PEZ became a children's product and fruity flavours were developed. The first PEZ dispensers with comic heads were finally launched onto the market in the early 1960s. The cooperation with Walt Disney here was pioneering.
Today, the PEZ Group has 950 employees, with 150 of them working in Traun, Upper Austria, where the company’s headquarters are located. Global sales and marketing, excluding the USA and Canada, are managed from here. Production sites are located in Vienna, Western Hungary and the USA, where PEZ also runs its own visitor centre. A flagship store also recently opened in Shanghai. Plans are also under way for special locations for PEZ fans in Austria.
Hainy has been intimately familiar with PEZ for almost 10 years, as he previously worked as Managing Director of the food manufacturer Ed. Haas, a sister company of PEZ. Ed. Haas is also responsible for sales of PEZ in Austria. After attending a higher technical college for food technology, Hainy studied business administration. He started his career at Bomba Energia Getränkevertriebs GmbH and from there he moved to the gingerbread manufacturer Lebzelterei Kastner. In 2016, Hainy joined Ed. Haas Austria, where he has been the Managing Director for Austria and the international Haas Group since 2020. Under the Haas brand, Ed. Haas produces and markets products including mustard, pudding and baking powder, but is also a successful sales partner for leading brands such as Ricola, Mentos, Chupa Chups and Pomito.
Picture material:
Leopold Hainy, new CEO of PEZ AG © & TM by PEZ AG
PEZ dispensers – a selection from the current range. © & TM by PEZ AG
PEZ candies – popular all over the world. © & TM by PEZ AG
