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Canadian dairy giant Saputo is reshaping its organisational structure, creating a dedicated ingredients division as it looks to accelerate growth in higher-value dairy ingredients and strengthen commercial execution across its global business.
The Montréal-headquartered company announced the changes on 23 September, saying the new structure is intended to improve organisational focus, accountability and execution while supporting its longer-term strategic priorities.
A new Ingredients Division will bring together Saputo’s commercial, operational, innovation and growth activities in the category.
Steve Douglas has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Ingredients. He will also continue as president and chief operating officer of Saputo’s Dairy Division in the UK until completion of the company’s previously announced sale of the business.
Saputo said the creation of the dedicated division reflects growing global demand for higher-value dairy ingredients and is designed to strengthen innovation and commercial opportunities across international markets.
The company is also creating a new chief enterprise transformation officer role, with Haig Poutchigian appointed to the position.
Poutchigian will oversee the integration of Saputo’s business administration and operational finance functions with its information technology teams into a single enterprise services model.
According to Saputo, the change is intended to improve consistency, visibility and scalability across the business while simplifying processes and reducing complexity.
The company also expects the structure to support greater use of automation, digital technologies and data-driven decision-making.
The move comes as food and beverage manufacturers continue to invest in technology and operational transformation as they seek to improve productivity and respond to changing customer and consumer requirements.
Saputo has also appointed Dave Paradis as president and chief operating officer of its Dairy Division in Canada.
Paradis will oversee the company's Canadian operations, with responsibilities spanning commercial execution, customer relationships and operational performance.
Saputo said the appointment is intended to support the division’s strategic priorities while strengthening customer partnerships and operational execution.
The organisational changes build on several areas Saputo has identified as priorities in recent years, including expansion in value-added dairy and high-protein ingredients, investment in digital and AI-enabled technologies, process simplification and sustainable growth.
Carl Colizza, Saputo’s president and chief executive officer, said the changes were designed to ensure the company’s structure keeps pace with the evolution of its portfolio and investment priorities.
“As Saputo continues to evolve its portfolio and invest in growth opportunities, it is important that our organizational structure evolves alongside our business,” Colizza said.
He added that the changes are intended to increase organisational focus and strengthen accountability across key strategic priorities.
Saputo said the restructuring does not represent a change to its overall strategic priorities, but rather is intended to provide greater focus and support execution against them.
The company is one of the world’s largest dairy processors, with operations spanning cheese, fluid milk, cultured products and dairy ingredients, as well as dairy alternatives. Its products are sold under branded and private-label portfolios across multiple markets.
The latest announcement follows Saputo’s previously disclosed plans to divest its Dairy Division in the UK. Until the transaction is completed, Douglas will continue to lead the UK business alongside his new global ingredients responsibilities.
