C-Suite executive shakeups: Petco, AlphaPet, Primal Pet and Darling

The industry is seeing changes at the top of some major players. Here’s a look at the latest staffing swaps.

Petco

San Diego-based Petco announced the appointment of 3 new executives. All came from outside the industry but have track records in other markets.

The company has appointed Sabrina Simmons as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), replacing Brian LaRose, who served in the role for nearly 4 years. Simmons previously held the CFO position at clothing retailer Gap. It’s unclear what sparked LaRose’s departure, but the company notes that he will stay in an advisory role until April.

Michael Romanko was named Chief Customer and Product Officer. He was previously Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at discount retailer Five Below.

Jack Stout, the former Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer at convenience store chain 7-Eleven, was appointed Petco’s new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

“Today’s appointments represent a significant evolution of Petco’s leadership team that brings robust retail expertise to help accelerate initiatives we’re undertaking to strengthen our retail fundamentals, drive profit improvement and return us to growth,” CEO Joel Anderson says. “Sabrina, Michael and Jack are seasoned leaders with proven track records who will further help us unlock value for our customers, partners and shareholders.”

This is the latest in a string of executive shakeups at the company, which has been facing net losses.

Petco’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) resigned in the summer, and Anderson, the CEO, has only been in his role since July.

AlphaPet

European online pet food platform AlphaPet has two new industry experts on its advisory board. The company’s Co-Founder, Stefan Pfannmöller, has joined the board, as has former Zooplus COO Mischa Ritter.

“They bring extensive expertise to support our next growth phase,” CEO Marco Hierling says. “Their guidance will help drive our international scaling initiatives and Buy-and-Build strategy.”

AlphaPet maintains growth by purchasing niche brands from markets across Europe. This “local-hero” strategy means improving profits through small mergers and acquisitions. The recent board shakeup follows the German company’s recent expansion into the UK.

Primal Pet Group

The California-based raw food company has appointed a new Chief Customer Officer (CCO), bringing in Luke Mullins, who has worked in the industry for over 2 decades.

Mullins previously served as VP of Sales at the Canadian company Champion Petfoods. He was briefly the VP of Sales at wellness brand Mary’s Nutritionals. Before that, he spent over a decade working as a Sales Director at the pet food brand Blue Buffalo. He began serving as CCO in January.

The newly formed role at Primal has Mullins focusing on the company’s growth and working closely with its CMO. The company says in a statement that former company President Matt Pirz has stepped back from day-to-day operations. It’s unclear how this move was connected to the creation of the CCO position.

Primal sells pet food under its own brands and the Himalayan, EcoKind and Prairie Dog labels.

Darling Ingredients

The Texas-based company, which takes waste material from the food and animal agriculture industries and turns it into animal and human food products, recently announced that it has elected Soren Schroder to its board as an Independent Director.

“His extensive experience in operations, strategic leadership, financial management and corporate governance will be invaluable to Darling Ingredients,” says Chairman and CEO Randall C. Stuewe. “With his expertise, we are well positioned to navigate market complexities and drive long-term, strategic growth.”

Schroder has over 3 decades of experience in food ingredients and global agribusiness, previously serving as CEO and board member at Bunge Global SA and working for 15 years at Continental Grain Company and Cargill.

Last year, Darling Ingredients acquired Polish processer Miropasz, adding 3 additional plants to its existing 3 in central and western Poland. This underscores the brand’s “dedication to expanding [its] worldwide supply of low-carbon feedstocks.”