Monthly update: latest appointments in the pet industry

GlobalPETS has compiled the latest C-level and board appointments in the global pet industry.

JAB Holdings

The German investment conglomerate, which has an important presence in the pet insurance sector, has appointed Anant Bhalla as a Senior Partner and Chief Investment Officer (CIO).

He will be responsible for overseeing the development of JAB’s global insurance business and thematic asset management capabilities for expansion beyond consumer goods and services. 

Bhalla has been the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American Equity Investment Life Holding Company for the past 4 years. He has also held various senior roles in insurance and asset management firms, including as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at MetLife’s US retail insurance businesses. 

Stella & Chewy’s

Marie Moody, the founder of natural and raw pet food company Stella & Chewy’s, has assumed the role of interim CEO, succeeding Marc Hill. She served on the firm’s Board of Directors for over 15 years. 

David Kapic has been promoted from Chief Operations Director (COO) to President. He will be responsible for driving growth with the company’s partners and co-lead the firm’s sales strategy with Moody until the appointment of a new Chief Sales Officer. 

Wellness Pet Company

Allison Giorgio is the new Chief Marketing Officer of the Massachusetts-based pet care player. She will be responsible for driving the company’s growth by propelling brand strategy, defining the company’s voice and building consumer awareness.

She was previously the Vice President of Marketing at PUMA North America, a company she worked at for 18 years, where she spearheaded the development of integrated marketing strategies. 

CEO Reed Howlett believes Alison brings “deeply integrated” marketing capabilities to lead brand storytelling and consumer experiences.

Bellylabs

Annika Lundström, former Director at Nordic pet retailer Musti, will become the new CEO of Finnish dog home-testing firm Bellylabs on 10 June.

Lundström was most recently the Head of Category Management at Wolt, a Nasdaq stock exchange subsidiary. At Musti Group, she was the Head of Category and Sourcing.

“Her exceptional leadership skills and international pet industry expertise will be instrumental in driving Bellylabs forward as we continue to expand our global footprint and enhance our product offerings,” comments Chairman of the Board Timo Helosuo.

Petco

The American pet retailer Petco has announced a series of changes in its executive leadership team. 

James Roth has been brought on as the retailer’s Chief Stores Officer to lead operations across all Pet Care Centers in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company has eliminated the role of COO.

Shari White has been appointed Interim Chief Merchant, replacing Amy College, who will leave Petco next August. White has served as the Director of Sales at American retailer corporate Target and held merchandising and brand management roles at Target and consumer goods multinational Unilever.

Petco has appointed Tim Buckenberger as Senior Vice President of Merchandise Planning, Inventory & Supply Chain; Steve Janowiak as the Vice President of Digital; and Stephen Reyes as the Senior Vice President of Services.

Interim CEO Mike Mohan believes these changes will drive “retail excellence” as the firm executes its “operational reset.”

AlphaPet Ventures

Christopher Prüß has joined the German premium pet food company AlphaPet Ventures as its new Managing Director and COO. 

“I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity to leverage my experience in upscaling operations to help AlphaPet Ventures and its incredible brands reach new heights,” he says.

Prüß most recently served as the Vice President of Supply Chain Operations at meal-kit delivery company HelloFresh and has held leadership and management roles at Germany-based Pharma Action and retailer Lidl.

The Honest Kitchen

The human-grade pet food company has appointed Kirk Jensen as its new COO. A consumer-product goods industry veteran, he has experience driving sustainable growth, scaling category-disrupting brands and spearheading successful supply chain transformations.

Jensen most recently served as the COO at consumer-packaged food company Sovos Brands. He also worked for human snack maker Snyder’s Lance. 

“Kirk’s deep understanding of supply chain and his demonstrated ability to drive profitable growth and operational efficiencies will be instrumental in furthering our mission of providing pets with the healthiest, most wholesome food possible,” says CEO Will Lisman.

BARK

Meghan Knoll has been appointed as the Chief Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Officer. She will be responsible for driving accelerated growth of the company’s DTC channel.

She was most recently the CEO of Cat Person, a subscription-based cat food company. 

Before that, she spent over 7 years at BARK, making “significant contributions” across the company.

Knoll will work alongside 2 new C-level appointments that the pet care firm announced a few weeks ago: Michael Black as the new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and Michael Parness as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). 

Black was most recently the Founder and President of Paragon International Advisers, a consulting firm partnering with investors in the pet industry. Parness was the CMO of the premium fresh dog food brand JustFoodForDogs.

KatKin

Lloyd Page became the first Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at the direct-to-consumer cat food brand to ensure the company’s growth. 

Page last served as the CMO at British online car marketplace Motorway, where he played a key role in securing capital in 2 funding rounds. 

He has also held senior marketing roles at price-comparison platform MoneySuperMarket, department store chain John Lewis and network provider Vodafone.

Pet Supermarket

The American pet store chain has hired Todd Northcutt as its Senior Vice President of Retail Store Operations. He will be responsible for stores, services, and field organization of the company’s entire geographic network of 225 sites.

Northcutt previously worked as the Regional Vice President at The Vitamin Shoppe, a supplement retailer. He has experience in leading large teams in specialty and omnichannel retail environments.