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MANAGER: DANIEL SERVITJE MONTULL (int'l edition)Grupo Industrial Bimbo began baking bread and snack cakes in Mexico more than 50 years ago, before CEO Daniel Servitje Montull, 39, was born. But the youngest son of one oF the founders is not tradition-bound. After 1 1/2 years as head of the $2.7 billion company, Servitje has engineered an about-face in its secretive image: He is the first Bimbo chief to meet with analysts. ''Because of our international dimension, we have to be more responsive,'' he says. About 20% of Bimbo's shares are traded publicly. Servitje, who has a Stanford MBA, has played a key role in turning Bimbo into a multinational. Overseas sales total 30% of revenues, vs. 4% five years ago. Bimbo operates in 12 Latin countries and is the top brand of sliced bread in countries such as VenezUela and Chile. In May, it paid $250 million to buy Texas-based Mrs. Baird's bakeries to bolster Bimbo's presence in the U.S. Hispanic market. Servitje's challenge: expanding in a market with superthin margins. Such skills could help if a recession causes a slump at home.
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Updated Oct. 15, 1998 by bwwebmaster
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