New management roles at Freshpet

Christopher Kraus, Freshpet’s newly appointed Chief Information Officer, was recently the CIO at New York-based consulting firm Golden Touch Group. He boasts 20 years of technology executive experience and has worked on re-platforming business systems, cloud migration, cybersecurity, business resiliency and long-term growth.

Wyatt Hassel, appointed as Freshpet’s VP of Manufacturing, has spent 25 years in manufacturing and operations within consumer goods companies. He is moving from the role of General Manager, Master Planning and Production Control at supermarket chain H-E-B Grocery Company. 

Nishu Patel, who is joining as VP of Corporate Controller, has 15 years of experience in financial statement auditing for public and private companies at consultancy firm Ernst & Young. She has extensive knowledge of SEC reporting requirements, initial public offering (IPO) and carve-out audits, acquisition and divestiture accounting, joint venture transactions and more.

Freshpet CEO Billy Cyr says the new hires “will significantly impact the business and help to support our operational momentum.” The New Jersey company ended 2022 with a 39.9% jump in sales, up from $425.5 million (€402M) in the previous year.

The new appointments were a part of Freshpet’s Operational Improvement Plan announced last fall to improve profitability and growth. The plan includes improvements in quality, logistics, fill rates and margin expansion.

These new appointments come after the recent battle with one of the company’s stakeholders—JANA Partners—for alleged financial breaches.