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Sargento has announced a series of leadership appointments spanning key areas of its operations, including innovation, food safety and quality, manufacturing and strategic sourcing.

The moves come as the company continues to invest in the capabilities and operational infrastructure underpinning its long-term growth strategy.

Louie Gentine, third-generation chairman and CEO of Sargento, said: “At Sargento, our success has always been built on high quality, real food innovation, and a commitment to our stakeholders."

The changes include the appointment of Holly Baumgart as senior vice president of innovation, succeeding Rod Hogan, who has announced plans to retire in January 2027.

Baumgart currently serves as Sargento’s vice president of new platform development and has held leadership positions across information technology, strategic planning and new products during her time with the company.

She will take on her new responsibilities immediately, while Hogan will remain with Sargento through his planned retirement to support knowledge transfer and share his expertise.

Hogan has spent years helping shape Sargento's innovation culture and product pipeline. The company said he has played a role in launching some of its most successful products and developing its next generation of leaders. He was also recently awarded Sargento's Founder’s Ring, the company's highest recognition.

According to Sargento, its innovation strategy has contributed $1 billion in category growth over the past five years.

Baumgart's appointment places the company's innovation agenda under an executive with experience across several areas of the business, as Sargento looks to build on that growth. Sargento has also appointed Tim Finnerty as vice president of food safety and quality. Finnerty will oversee the company's food safety and quality assurance strategy, including the teams and standards supporting its natural cheese products and ingredients.

He brings more than 12 years of food industry leadership experience to the role. Before joining Sargento, Finnerty was vice president of food safety, quality and regulatory affairs at DO & CO North America. He previously held executive quality positions at HelloFresh, where his team received the Black Pearl Award from the International Association for Food Protection for corporate excellence.

Meanwhile, Steve Cahoon is moving into the newly announced role of vice president of strategic sourcing after 15 years with Sargento.

Cahoon most recently served as vice president of manufacturing, where he was responsible for implementing the company's manufacturing strategy and driving operational performance and cost savings. That strategy uses a Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery and People (SQCDP) framework to align manufacturing operations with wider corporate objectives.

In his new position, Cahoon will focus on strategic procurement, supply continuity and supply-chain performance.

Taking over as vice president of manufacturing is Jack Lindsay, who will oversee operations across Sargento's manufacturing network.

Lindsay joins the company with more than 14 years of consumer packaged goods operations experience. His background includes plant management, manufacturing strategy and continuous improvement.

Prior to joining Sargento, he served as vice president, operations business lead at Danone North America, where he was responsible for operational performance, capital projects and category growth strategy.

The appointments come as Sargento seeks to strengthen capabilities across its operations while continuing to invest in innovation.

Michael Pellegrino, chief operating officer of Sargento, said: “We’re all excited about these leadership changes as they set the Sargento Family up well for accelerated growth and operational excellence. Our COO leadership team will continue to work together to grow our capabilities and ensure Sargento continues to set the standard for quality and innovation in the CPG industry.

Founded in Plymouth, Wisconsin, in 1953, Sargento employs more than 2,500 people and reported $1.7 billion in net sales.

The company says it was the first to introduce pre-packaged sliced and shredded natural cheeses and cheese blends to the US market. It remains headquartered in Wisconsin, where it manufactures and markets shredded, sliced and snack natural cheese products, as well as cheese ingredients.

The latest leadership changes span the company's product development, quality, manufacturing and procurement functions, with Sargento positioning the appointments as part of its broader effort to support continued growth while maintaining its focus on food quality and innovation.