US group Sara Lee has announced that chairman and CEO Ms. Brenda Barnes will temporarily stand down from her post for medical reasons.The company has appointed CFO Mr. Marcel Smits to serve as interim CEO. Lead independent director James Crown will take over as chairman.

Mark Garvey, SVP global business services and corporate controller, will assume the responsibilities of CFO.

The group has given no indication of when Barnes, the chief architect of Sara Lee's move to increase focus on core food operations, is expected to return.