Checkout who is moving onwards and upwards in FoodNavigator-USA's latest new hires gallery, featuring Coca-Cola, Siggi’s, Albertsons, Hormel, Tyson Foods, Welch’s, Soylent, Rebbl, Farmhouse Culture, Boulder Organic Foods, Nutriati, Firmenich, Humm Kombucha, Incredible Foods, Ferrero, and Bumble Bee Foods.
Checkout who is moving onwards and upwards in FoodNavigator-USA's latest new hires gallery, featuring Coca-Cola, Siggi’s, Albertsons, Hormel, Tyson Foods, Welch’s, Soylent, Rebbl, Farmhouse Culture, Boulder Organic Foods, Nutriati, Firmenich, Humm Kombucha, Incredible Foods, Ferrero, and Bumble Bee Foods.
Carlos Altschul – previously VP sales at organic yogurt brand Stonyfield – is the new president and CEO of Icelandic- yogurt maker Siggi’s, replacing Bart Adlam, who has joined meat snacks brand Chef’s Cut as CEO.
Coca-Cola has also unveiled key changes (click HERE) in its leadership team, electing EMEA president Brian Smith as group president and COO, effective January 1, 2019, and Asia Pac president John Murphy as EVP and CFO on March 16, 2019.
“While we don't expect Mr Smith to eventually succeed Mr Quincey as CEO, as Mr. Smith is currently in his 60s, we believe his promotion will enable [CEO James] Quincey to pivot his focus towards Coca-Cola’s long term strategic priorities, including stepped-up M&A …” said Wells Fargo in a note to investors.
“Additionally, we expect both Mr Smith and Mr Murphy to bring significant international expertise to their new roles given their respective backgrounds, enabling Coca-Cola to further build out its global operations in key geographies including China, where we see significant long term growth potential."
Tyson Foods meanwhile, is waving goodbye to CEO Tom Hayes, who has stepped down for personal reasons. He has been replaced by COO Noel White (pictured).
Albertsons has promoted Jim Donald (right) to president and CEO, succeeding Bob Miller (left) in the CEO role, a move that came as “no great surprise” to Neil Saunders at GlobalData Retail: “There have been rumors for some time that Miller wished to hand over the day-to-day running of the operation.
“Although there is no doubting Miller's expertise and his contribution to the retail industry, his tenure at Albertsons since its takeover of Safeway and sale to Cerberus Capital Management has been mixed,” added Saunders.
“While progress has been made on integrating Safeway and on some digital initiatives, the company is hindered by a very heavy debt burden. This has weakened profits and stymied investment. As a consequence, Albertsons is now a laggard in the grocery industry in terms of its proposition. Stores are suffering from underinvestment, prices are way too high, and the offer looks tired. In our view, this is a dangerous position to be in at a time when grocery competition is increasing.
“Remedying this will now fall to Jim Donald. His depth of experience at Walmart, Starbucks, Publix, and many other retailers will serve him well. However, given the state of Albertsons' balance sheet and Cerberus' probable desire for a sale, his room for maneuver is limited and he will be under intense pressure to come up with quick-fixes.
“Overall, as much as we welcome this move, we remain deeply unimpressed by Albertsons. This is not so much because of Mr. Miller or Mr. Donald. It is largely because past bad decisions, including the acquisition of Safeway, and Cerberus’ short-termism, have put the company in a very challenging position.”
Former Kernel Season’s popcorn CEO Scott Lerner will take over as CEO of fermented food brand Farmhouse Culture on November 1, replacing John Wells, the company’s CFO, who has been running the company following CEO John Tucker’s exit over the summer.
Adaptogen-fueled beverage brand Rebbl has recruited Dennis Macray – who has spearheaded social responsibility initiatives at Theo Chocolate Company and Starbucks - to the newly-created role as VP, impact.
Rebbl - which donates 2.5% of its sales to nonprofit partner, Not For Sale, which works to end exploitation and protect communities from human trafficking – has also achieved B Corp status.
Chilled soup maker Boulder Organic Foods has promoted marketing director Jen-ai Stokesbary (top right) to the role of director of sustainability and hired Cathryn Olchowy (bottom right) to the role of director of marketing and insights.
Confectionery giant Ferrero has hired former Sysco exec Gerald R. (Chip) Kunde, II as SVP government and institutional affairs, North America, driving a government and public affairs engagement strategy for the company in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Outlaw Energy has hired former 7-Eleven chief merchandising officer Jesus Delgado-Jenkins as CEO and chairman, replacing Doug Weekes, who will remain with Outlaw as COO.
Incredible Foods, maker of the Perfectly Free allergy-friendly fruit bites and dairy-free frozen bites and desserts, has attracted Dr. Stefan Catsicas -- the recently retired CTO of Nestlé S.A. – to its board of directors, along with Poppilu founder Melanie Kahn. It has also hired former DSM Nutritional Products R&D exec Dr Joseph Speroni as its CTO.
Welch’s has hired former Schwan’s president Trevor Bynum as president and CEO, replacing outgoing CEO Brad Irwin.
Humm Kombucha has named John Peirano as its new VP of marketing. Peirano, who has worked with brands including Red Bull, Muscle Milk, PowerBar, Sparkling Ice, and Nike Soccer, founded protein powder brand Plant Works Nutrition.
Bonduelle Fresh Americas, home to the Ready Pac Foods brand and the newest business unit of Bonduelle, has hired Mary Thompson as its new CEO.
Chickpea-fueled ingredients specialist Nutriati has appointed firmer SunOpta and ADM exec Michael Todd as its new CEO, replacing CEO and co-founder Richard Kelly, who will continue to advise the company and the board in 2019 and beyond.
According to Kelly: “As we continue to build the business, we have decided that is the right time to bring in my successor as CEO… I look forward to transitioning the operating role to an experienced, innovative food ingredient executive to execute our plan.”
At least four consumer products featuring Nutriati’s chickpea flour and protein ingredients will come to market in the fourth quarter of 2018, said the company.
Seafood company Bumble Bee Foods has hired CPG veteran Todd Putman - who has held senior roles at Campbell Soup, Procter & Gamble, Walt Disney and Coca-Cola - as its EVP and chief growth officer.
Silver Hills, the parent company behind Silver Hills Bakery, One Degree Organic Foods and Little Northern Bakehouse, has hired Dave Hansen – who has held senior commercial roles at Frito-Lay/Pepsico Foodservice, Snyder’s-Lance, and Nature’s Bakery - to the new role of VP sales.
Hormel, meanwhile, is waving goodbye to Kurt Mueller, SVP of consumer products sales, who is retiring. He will be replaced by Albertsons/Safeway exec Natosha Walsh at the start of fiscal year 2019.
Meal replacement brand Soylent – which started selling online and has since aggressively ramped up its bricks & mortar presence – has hired former Califia Farms CFO Demir Vangelov as CFO; former Chef’d exec Benjamin Cariou as VP digital acquisition and ecommerce; and formerPepsiCo marketing exec Andrew Thomas as VP brand marketing.
Brian Douglas - who has worked in finance roles at Thuzio, Julius Influencer Marketing Software, and ProofPilot - has joined protein water brand Protein2o as CFO.
Firmenich has appointed Emmanuel Butstraen as president of its flavors business unit, succeeding Chris Millington. Butstraen most recently served as president of Solvay’s Novecare global business unit after 17 years with BASF.
Bell Flavors & Fragrances has hired former Givaudan North American sales exec Ron Stark as its new president and COO, a family-run business with 11 manufacturing plants and 40 sales offices around the world.
