Petco, General Mills, ADM and more: new executives in the pet industry

Petco

Joel D. Anderson has been appointed Petco’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 29 July. He has also been elected to the company’s Board of Directors.

Interim CEO R. Michael Mohan will move on to chair a new Board committee on Petco’s ongoing value-creation initiatives.

Glenn Murphy, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, notes that Anderson’s work will revolve around leading Petco’s initiatives to improve operating and financial results.

Anderson most recently was the CEO of Five Below, an American chain of specialty discount stores, where he led the company’s expansion across the US. From 2011 to 2014, he served as the President and CEO of Walmart.com.

General Mills

Asheesh Saksena will take over the role of Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at the American manufacturer on 26 August. He succeeds Dana McNabb and will report to Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening.

Saksena will be part of the Senior Leadership Team and hold global accountability for General Mills’ comprehensive strategic planning process and for building long-term, sustainable growth acceleration.

“As we continue to boldly build our brands, relentlessly innovate and revamp our portfolio for today’s families, I am confident Asheesh will be instrumental in helping build consumer love for our iconic core brands,” Harmening comments.

Saksena most recently served as the Chief Growth Officer for American clothing retailer Gap, where he was responsible for operations, technology and the company’s growth, portfolio, and diversification strategies.

Before that, he was the Chief Strategic Growth Officer for Best Buy, a multinational consumer electronics retailer, and President of Best Buy Health, the corporation’s healthcare wing. He has also held senior positions at cable television companies Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable.

ADM

Monish Patolawala will assume the roles of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at ingredients multinational ADM from 1 August 2024. He will succeed Ismael Roig, the Interim CFO since January 2024.

Patolawala will oversee global finance and accounting, business services, technology and the company’s enterprise strategy.

He has over 25 years of experience overseeing innovation and sustainability-focused teams across leading industrial and healthcare companies. His most recent position was as the President and CFO of consumer goods multinational 3M. He has also served as the CFO of GE Healthcare, a medical technology company.

“I look forward to drawing upon my experience to advance ADM’s operational excellence and discipline as we deliver for our stakeholders and drive shareholder value,” comments Patolawala.

Pet Supermarket

The US specialty pet supply retailer, with over 225 outlets in the country’s southeast regions, has appointed Harry Freed as its Senior Vice President of Merchandising.

Freed will oversee all merchandising and e-commerce business functions across the retail network and be responsible for expanding online operations, reporting directly to CEO Rich Tannenbaum.

He previously served as the President of Pet Family, a division of the UK-based retail chain Pets Corner, where he guided brand and merchandise implementation. Additionally, he managed private-label brands, field support, real estate, pet services and overall strategy.

Biomega

Lisa Hubert has been appointed to the Norwegian biosciences company’s Board of Directors to strengthen its presence in key markets in China and the US.

She will move from her role as an Investment Director at Mirova, an asset management company that has invested in Biomega’s expansion into Denmark.

Hubert has 15 years of experience originating, structuring and managing investments in sustainable agriculture, forestry, infrastructure and the blue economy.

In addition to being on the Biomega board, Hubert is also a board member of insect protein producer nextProtein, the Vietnamese marine biotech company Aquaproducts, and Mexican processing company Marativa.

i-Tail

Thai pet food manufacturer i-Tail, a subsidiary of the tuna multinational Thai Union, has recently reshuffled its board.

Chaiwat Charoenrujitanon resigned from the post of Director at the end of June, though he continues to hold his position as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Tin Shu Chan has assumed the vacant position and will serve Charoenrujitanon’s remaining term in office.

Chan will also be a member of the Risk Management Committee and replace Pichitchai Wongpiya as the Chairman of the Executive Committee. Wongpiya will retain his position as a member of the Executive Committee.