HR alert (I): Pet food manufacturers make key executive appointments across the US

Pet food manufacturers are reshaping their leadership teams, with several major players in the US announcing executive appointments this summer. 

Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Hill’s Pet Nutrition has appointed Wendy Boise as Executive Vice President (EVP) of People, where she will focus on strengthening culture, teams and leadership.

Boise has been with Colgate-Palmolive, the parent company of Hill’s, for 26 years, working in human resources roles. Most recently, she served as EVP of Global Talent, Learning and Organization Development.

Her previous leadership roles include VP of North America Human Resources, Head of HR for Global Finance, HR Director for US Customer Development and Director of Global People and Organization Development.

“Hill’s has an incredible legacy of science-led innovation, and I am passionate about bringing that same forward-thinking approach to our workplace. My focus will be on advancing an inclusive culture where every team member can reach their full potential to continue delivering on our mission to transform pets’ lives,” she says.

Simmons Foods

The North American poultry, pet and animal nutrition manufacturer announced executive leadership changes. Scott Salmon has moved from President of Simmons Pet Food to Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Simmons Foods, while Jacob Rogers, previously Senior Vice President (SVP) of Pet Sales, has succeeded him as President of Simmons Pet Food.

Salmon will oversee the company’s enterprise commercial strategy and standards, branded portfolio strategy for Pet and Prepared Foods, and the design and rollout of market and commercial analytics across the business. 

Before joining Simmons, where he served as President for more than 6 years, Salmon spent 14 years with the multinational food manufacturer the Kellogg Company.

Meanwhile, Rogers will take over the presidency, focusing on strengthening the company’s capabilities, product mix and value proposition.

The executive has served as SVP of Pet Sales since March 2024. Before joining Simmons, he worked for more than 6 years with The Hain Celestial Group, an international food and personal care company based in the US, and more than 16 years with the Kellogg Company.

“I and love and you”

Colorado-based pet food brand “I and love and you” has named Dan Waters as CEO, succeeding Michael Meyer, who has transitioned to Chairman of the Board.

Waters brings nearly 2 decades of experience in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. He previously served as CEO of Hu, a natural chocolate brand, and Enjoy Life Foods, an American-based food producer. He also served as Chief Marketing Officer at Bel Brands, a multinational food manufacturer.

Founded in 2010, “I and love and you” offers natural pet food sold across more than 30,000 grocery, mass, pet specialty and e-commerce stores across the US.

Carnivore Meat Company

Sergey Agafonkin is the new CFO of Carnivore Meat Company, a Wisconsin-based raw pet food manufacturer. With more than 20 years of finance leadership experience, Agafonkin will oversee the company’s financial strategy and operations, working closely with CEO Heather Govea and the broader leadership team.

“Sergey’s appointment represents an important step on our growth trajectory,” says Govea. “He’s a collaborative leader who leverages financial insight to drive smart, sustainable growth, and we’re excited to welcome him to our best-in-class executive team.”

Agafonkin served as CFO of CandyCo, a confectionery manufacturer specializing in private-label and contract manufacturing, for over 3 years, and as CFO of American Highway, a manufacturer and supplier of infrastructure products and solutions throughout North America, for a year and a half.

Mars

Mars has named Christina Ruggiero Regional President of Mars Pet Nutrition North America, overseeing the company’s pet nutrition business across the US and Canada.

Ruggiero will work with retailers, suppliers, industry partners, agencies and other strategic collaborators to strengthen partnerships that drive growth and accelerate innovation.

“Mars Pet Nutrition combines world-class science, culturally fluent brands and a deep understanding of the role pets play in people’s lives,” she says. “I’m excited to join the team at such an important time for the business and help accelerate growth, strengthen innovation and give pet parents greater confidence in the choices they make every day for the pets we love.”

Prior to her appointment, Ruggiero served as President of the Global Nutrition Category at The Coca-Cola Company. Before that, she was President of North America Operations and spent nearly 4 years in India as Chairperson and CEO of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages.

J.M. Smucker

American food manufacturer J.M. Smucker welcomed Douglas Guilherme as SVP of Operations and Supply Chain.

Reporting to Rob Ferguson, Chief Product Supply Officer and EVP of Coffee, Pet and Away From Home, Guilherme will support the company’s operational and supply chain strategy across the business.

He brings more than 30 years of global supply chain and operations leadership experience in the consumer goods, food and chemicals industries. Most recently, he served as SVP, Global Supply Chain at The Hershey Company, where he led manufacturing, engineering, continuous improvement, planning, logistics, digital supply chain transformation and network strategy.

In addition, Guilherme previously held leadership positions at Procter & Gamble and served as Global SVP of Supply Chain at Ecolab, a provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions.