B&G Foods has appointed Kenneth “Casey” Keller as its next president and CEO, effective 14 June 2021.
Keller – who will also be elected to B&G Foods’ board of directors – succeeds interim president and chief executive, David Wenner, who will remain a director of the company.
Wenner took over the roles on an interim basis after Kenneth Romanzi stepped down as group president and CEO at the end of last year.
Most recently, Keller served as president and CEO of JDE Peet’s. He led the merger of Jacobs Douwe Egberts and Peet’s Coffee and the €2.25 billion initial public offering of the combined company in May last year.
Prior to the merger, Keller was the president and CEO of Peet’s Coffee. He has also served as global president of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a subsidiary of Mars, and as president of Alberto Culver USA, as well as in roles at the H.J. Heinz Company.
“I am incredibly excited to be joining B&G Foods and its very talented and dedicated workforce. We will continue to focus on organic and acquisition growth, innovation, operational improvements, cost reduction efforts and the creation of stockholder value,” said Keller.
“At the same time, we will also continue to promote and further enhance B&G Foods’ corporate social responsibility efforts, including the company’s environmental, sustainability and DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] efforts.”
Stephen Sherrill, chairman of the board of directors of B&G Foods, said: “Casey is a food and beverage industry veteran with excellent leadership skills and a proven track record of generating revenue and earnings growth.
“We believe that Casey is the right person to lead B&G Foods and drive our organic and M&A growth strategy, promote our core values, promote our ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and generate value for our stockholders.”
He added: “On behalf of the entire company, I would also like to thank Dave Wenner for his service as our interim president and CEO. Dave’s incredibly strong leadership skills, breadth of experience, integrity and passion for our business have been invaluable as he has guided us through this transition period.”
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