Following the passing of company founder Dr. Muhammed Majeed, Sami-Sabinsa Group has announced that Anju Majeed, Ph.D., is the new Executive Chairperson, assuming the role her father held until his death on March 13, 2024. In addition, Shaheen Majeed has been named Global Managing Director & CEO. Read more about Sami-Sabinsa Group's new leadership.

Natural Health Research Institute (NHRI) is welcoming NOW Director of Science and Nutrition Yalda Shokooh, PharmD, Ph.D., as its new Executive Director. The nonprofit organization was launched in 2008 by Elwood Richard with a goal of reducing the leading causes of death by way of cost-effective natural means and providing the general public with peer-reviewed research that established the health benefits of natural foods and supplementation. “This is an honor to preserve Elwood’s legacy by facilitating the availability of free, summarized peer review articles on natural products which are understandable to the public and useful for practitioners and students,” said Dr. Shokooh of the appointment.

Giorgio Matteo Tarditi, UNFI

Giorgio “Matteo” Tarditi will be joining United Natural Foods, Inc. as its new President and Chief Financial Officer. The former GE executive will oversee corporate finance, treasury, strategy, financial planning and analysis, tax, accounting, investor relations, risk management, shared services and look to help accelerate performance, value creation, accelerate performance, and aid with customer-supplier-focused transformation. Tarditi expressed his excitement for the new opportunity: “I am thrilled to join UNFI’s talented team, renowned for its customer-centric and collaborative culture."

Tate & Lyle PLC is adding Jeffrey Carr to its Board as a non-executive director and member of the Audit and Nominations Committees. Currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Reckitt Benckiser Group and Chair of the Audit Committe and non-executive director of Kingfisher plc, Carr brings over 30 years of experience in international financial roles with him to his new role.

PCC Community Markets announced David Spear as the new Vice President of Merchandising, Promotions and Sourcing. Having worked in the food retail space for over 20 years, Spear will focus on shaping PCC's promotional go-to-market strategy, store experience, and the co-op's private label and pricing strategy. “I could not be more thrilled that Dave has joined our leadership team,” said Krish Srinivasan, President and CEO of PCC Community Markets. "Everything about his experience and passion is directly aligned with our co-op’s mission towards people, planet and profit."

Benjamin Mand is the new Chief Executive Officer of Guayaki Yerba Mate. The former CEO of Harmless Harvest will step into the new role and use his experience of scaling and creating value for food and beverage businesses to drive the brands growth. Interim CEO, Robyn Rutledge, will remain with the leadership team as Board Executive Chair and focus on strategic endeavors. In addition, Steve Lesnard has been welcomed as Board Director. With years of experience in global marketing and brand management, Lesnard will use his extensive strategic brand expertise to supplement the Board's current capabilities.

Chad Marquardt, Hain Celestial Group  

Chad Marquardt is the new President, North America for the Hain Celestial Group. The global health and wellness company appointed Mr. Marquardt to lead strategy and execution in the U.S. and Canada and play a key role in the delivery of the company's long-term Hain Reimagined strategic transformation. Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management with a concentration in International Finance from Bradley University and experience from previous positions with Glanbia Performance Nutrition (GPN), Reckitt Benckiser, and Mead Johnson Nutrition the new President expressed his respect for the company and its vision "Hain has an outstanding portfolio of leading, purpose-driven brands and its unique focus on better-for-you gives the company a competitive edge in partnering with customers and delivering on the evolving needs of health-conscious consumers."

Country Life has named Rob Robillard as Chief Executive Officer and Dan Danai as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Robillard has retail and private equity sector experience as well as brand management and strategic development knowledge from his time with Ben & Jerry's, L'Oreal, Living Proof, and QVC/HSN. Mr. Danai, a former CFO of JUST Goods and Pangaea Holdings, gained his financial and management experience from dealings with small to medium sized Fortune 500 companies. The new leadership additions will look to expand the company's Country Life Vitamins, Desert Essence, and Biochem brands and help continue its expansion through strategic acquisitions in the wellness and beauty sectors. Donna Iannucci, chief marketing and sales officer for Country Life expressed the groups enthusiasm for the new talent, "The entire Country Life team is delighted to have our new leaders help take us to the next level."

Wolfgang Wienand, Lonza

Lonza has nominated Wolfgang Wienand as its new Chief Executive Officer. He will begin his tenure during the summer of 2024. Albert M. Baehny will help usher in Wienand and facilitate the transition period. "Wolfgang brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Lonza, complemented by his deep scientific and strategic expertise," said the interim CEO as he prepares to step down and retire from the company.

Joe Serventi has joined the EVOLVED chocolate group as their new Chief Executive Officer. With more than two decades of brand-building and brand scaling experience within the food and beverage industry, Serventi shared his excitement for his new position, "the opportunity to officially lead this company alongside Rick and Christine, the Co-Founders, is truly humbling." A former CEO of HIPPEAS, Joe has been involved with the revamp of Pirate's Booty, the growth and acquisition of Glacéau's vitaminwater and smartwater as well as barkTHINS. As CEO of EVOLVED, he will look to drive growth, enhance sales and marketing efforts, capitalize on the brand's potential and explore strategies for brand development, channel optimization, and route-to-market expansion.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) appointed Michael Bailey as Senior Vice Present of Regulatory & Scientific Affairs. He will report to CHPA President and CEO Scott Melville. With almost 40 years of scientific and regulatory affairs experience, Bailey will oversee all aspects of regulatory and scientific affairs and strengthen relations with FDA leaders, centers, divisions, and offices. In addition, CHPA elected Abigail Buckwalter, Chris Brown, Chris DeWolf, Britta Dittrich, Ashish Girota, Nivaran Kapur, Steve LaMonte, Marsha McGraw, and Charles Miller to its Board of Directors at its annual Self-Care Leadership Summit (SLS). “CHPA is fortunate to have top industry leaders volunteer to serve on its board of directors,” said CHPA President and CEO, Scott Melville. Also inducted at the meeting were Christina Ferzli, Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications for Nestle Health Science and Hayley Fry, Senior Director of Marketing for Lil' Drug Store Products, Inc. to the Board of Health In Hand Foundation, the 501c3 educational arm of CHPA.

Kristal Sevcik has been confirmed as the new Chairperson of the Board of Directors of PLMA. The AmeriQual Group VP of Business Development was chosen for her new role at PLMA's Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference in San Antonio. Other nominations from the event included Mark Cheney of Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc as First Vice Chairperson and Anthony Biggers of Simmons Pet Food as Second Vice President. Felix Angst, Elizabeth Chimens, Chris Quinlan, Andy Russick, Marty Taylor, and John Logan were all named to the Executive Committee as well.