Symrise, Better Choice, Chewy, Darling Ingredients, Kemin, and Pure Pet Food announced changes in their management teams.
From ingredient providers to manufacturers and retailers, we take a look at 6 pet firms that have recently appointed new management roles.
Symrise
Symrise’s supervisory board announced the extension of CFO Olaf Klinger’s role until January 2028.
Klinger was appointed to the executive board of the German company in January 2016. Since then, he has supported the firm with the acquisitions of China-based Wing Pet Food and ADF/IDF in the US.
Under his leadership, Symrise signed the first ESG-linked (Environment, Social, Governance) bond worth €750 million ($814.5M) in 2022.
Better Choice
The Florida-based pet health and wellness company appointed Kent Cunningham as CEO effective 22 May 2023.
Cunningham has held various positions at Mars Petcare, acted as the CEO of sports and active nutrition company 1440 Foods, and was general manager at The Bountiful Company, an American dietary supplement business.
He brings 25 years of health and wellness marketing and sales experience to the position at Better Choice.
Chewy Health
The online pet retailer appointed Mita Malhotra as its new president.
In her new role, Malhotra will drive long-term growth by building products and services under the brand label, bridging the gap between pet parents and veterinary partners.
Malhotra has served as the company’s vice president since February 2018, building Chewy Pharmacy. Her efforts have led to the launches of Practice Hub (the brand’s in-house compounding pharmacy), Connect with a Vet (an online vet chat), and CarePlus (a wellness and insurance brand).
Previously, Malhotra spent 8 years at Dell overseeing the Consumer PC division and acted as category leader for Amazon.
Darling Ingredients
Matt Jansen joined the company recently as the new chief operating officer for North America.
The firm largely turns edible by-products and food waste into sustainable solutions for various industries, including pet food.
Jansen boasts 3 decades of experience in the global agriculture and food industry with appointments at StepStone Group, Saudi Arabia Agriculture and Livestock Investment Company, and Chinese COFCO International. He also held multiple roles at the animal nutrition company ADM.
Rick Elrod, the current executive vice president for US Rendering Operations, has also announced his retirement in April 2024. Brandon Lairmore, Senior Vice President, North Central Region, is set to take over the role. He brings 20 years of experience in the agriculture and meat processing industry.
Kemin Food Technologies
Sustainable ingredient manufacturer Kemin Industries appointed João Marcelo Gomes as president of Kemin Food Technologies for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region.
Moving up from his role in 2019 as President of Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health for South America, Gomes led the business unit to double its growth in net sales, achieve record growth in net income, and reach high scores in employee engagement.
He previously held executive positions at Bayer, Fort Dodge, Pfizer, Ceva, and Novus International in animal nutrition and health.
The company, established in 1961, manufactures specialty ingredients for pet food, human and animal health and nutrition, aquaculture, and more. It operates across 90 countries.
Pure Pet Food
The British premium dog food and treats manufacturer appointed Roz Cuschieri as the new CEO.
Previously, Cuschieri held the CEO position for Genius Foods, acted as the commercial director of bakery firm Warburtons, and was a board member of MedaHuman, Babease, and Lightbody Ventures.
Under her recent leadership, she led Genius Foods through a period of bakery acquisitions and pushed the company’s turnover to over £50 million (€57.4M/$62.4M).
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