HR alert: New leadership changes and executive appointments

Leading companies in the pet industry – including Nestlé, PetSmart and Central Garden & Pet – have announced leadership changes to boost their growth.

Central Garden & Pet

The Californian supplier has appointed its former Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Niko Lahanas, as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Meanwhile, Brad Smith, CFO of the Pet Segment, has been promoted to the company’s central CFO role.

Lahanas succeeds interim CEO Beth Springer, who will return to her previous role as Lead Independent Director. With 18 years of industry leadership experience, he has been instrumental in shaping Central’s business strategy since becoming CFO in 2017.

“With our strong operational foundation, M&A (mergers and acquisitions) capabilities and entrepreneurial culture, I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead,” he comments.

Smith has provided strong financial leadership for the pet segment and brings over 12 years of experience in various financial roles, including serving as Central Garden & Pet’s CFO for Europe.

PetSmart

Alan Schnaid, Executive Vice President and CFO of the American pet retailer, has taken over as interim President and CEO following the departure of J.K. Symancyk in late September.

Raymond Svider, Chairman of the Board, praised Schnaid’s strategic contributions and expressed confidence in his leadership.

Before this role, Schnaid was the CFO of the US-headquartered hospitality franchise Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, where he was responsible for global finance, accounting, tax, treasury, planning, risk management and investor relations functions.

Pet Food Experts (PFX)

Greg Cyr has been appointed CEO of the American pet food distributor, bringing with him 25 years of executive leadership in the pet industry. Cyr has held senior roles, including CEO of Mid America Pet Foods and President of Central Garden & Pet.

“His deep knowledge of the pet industry and understanding of the vital relationships we have cultivated with retailers and vendor partners will help guide us into our next chapter of growth,” notes Chairman John Tracy.

PFX has also appointed Michael Baker as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors. “Michael’s leadership has fostered an extraordinary culture and set a standard of service I’ve admired for a long time,” comments Greg Cyr.

Independence Pet Holdings

The North American pet insurance company under German conglomerate JAB Holding has onboarded Kirk Haggard as its new CEO after his interim tenure since July 2024.

Over a career of nearly 4 decades, Haggard has demonstrated knowledge in strategy development, operational efficiency, sales and marketing effectiveness and talent development.

Haggard’s leadership was praised by Dirk Beeckman, JAB Pet Services Global CEO. He says,

“We are excited by his vision to move the company forward and continue its recent momentum.”

Nestlé

The multinational has recently announced the merging of geographical zones and changes to its executive leadership.

Steve Presley will lead Zone Americas (AMS), comprising Zone Latin America (LATAM) and Zone North America (NA).

Remy Ejel will manage Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa (AOA), which will also comprise Zone Greater China Region (GCR) from January 2025.

David Zhang will continue to serve as the chairman and CEO of the Greater China Region but will step down from the Executive Board.