Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) announced the results of its 2024 Board of Directors elections. Karen E. Todd (Kyowa Hakko) has been re-elected to serve a new board term while Ken Myers (Nu Skin) has been elected to his first term. Laura Harkness (Church & Dwight), David Campbell (Bayer) and Renato Camera (Haleon) have all been appointed to the CRN Executive Committee. Aaron Bennett (Vytalogy Wellness) will serve as Secretary while Chris Reid (Plexus Worldwide) will assume the Treasurer role for the remainder of the 2023-24 term. Additional appointments include Travis Borchardt, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and QC/QA, Nature’s Way; Paul Browner, Head of Regulatory Affairs at dsm-firmenich; Paola Clavijo, Head of Policy, Advocacy and Risk Management, Unilever Health & Wellbeing; Haven Cockerham, Senior Vice President, Self-Care Business Unit, Kenvue; and Ron Fugate, Interim Chief Executive Officer, MeriCal.

The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) adds three new members to its Board of Directors. Gonzalo Caceres, Commercial Director of TASA, is now the new GOED chair, Michelle Stout, Regulatory Policy Director of Amway, is the new Vice-Chair, and Charles Perez, Director of Global Product Management - Nutritional Lipids at dsm-firmenich will assume a new role as Secretary. 

Enzymedica welcomes Ryan Kruse and Michael Graham to its leadership team. Kruse joins as the new Chief Operating Officer and will oversee the company's strategy and operations within the natural channel. Previously a member of Garden of Life, Kruse has more than two decades of industry experience and will focus on driving growth and pushing innovation. Graham will start his tenure as Vice President of Operations. Formerly with Teva Pharmaceuticals, Graham will use his operational and strategic leadership expertise to optimize Enzymedica's supply chain, manufacturing processes, and overall operational efficiency. Both individuals will look to contribute to Enzymedica's overall mission of providing high-quality supplements that support digestive health, immunity, and overall wellness. 

Unilever has announced Heiko Schipper will take over as President of its Nutrition Business Group. Schipper has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience and held roles as CEO of Nestle's global Nutrition business division in 2014 and most recently, President of Bayer Consumer Health. Unilever's current CEO, Hein Schumacher, shared confidence in the new appointee: “Heiko is a global business leader with deep expertise and experience of the foods and nutrition industry and a long track record of delivering sustained high performance."


DrSmithRodale24.jpgAndrew Smith, Ph.D.

Rodale Institute has appointed Andrew Smith, Ph.D., as its first ever Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Dr. Smith will oversee Rodale Institute’s efforts to further incorporate its scientific priorities into a broader scope of operations, facilitate a global, multidisciplinary, and collaborative research program, as well as lead the research and farm operations activities across Rodale Institute campuses within the U.S. and Europe. Dr. Smith, formally Rodale’s Chief Operating Officer, brings more than 20 years of organic industry experience to the new position and has worked as an agronomist, researcher, and farmer.


Bell Flavors & Fragrances has announced new leadership within its Flavor & Fragrances department as well as its global headquarters. Benjamin Stanley, CRC is now Director of Sweet Applications, Vuk Levakov is Senior Director of Beverage Applications, Andrew Petrou has been promoted to Flavorist, Savory Lab Manager, Melissa Scharoff is now Junior Perfumer and Fragrance Evaluation Manager, Karen Graves is now Vice President of Shared Technical Services, and Susan Payton is the new Vice President of Customer Service. 

Meati Foods has named Phil Graves as its new CEO. Phil's experience includes decades of financial management, strategic planning, and operational optimization for brands including Patagonia, Wild Idea Buffalo, and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's. News of the announcement comes as the company continues its efforts to optimize its workforce and make strides towards profitability. 


Stipp.jpgMaria Stipp, Suja Life
Suja Life has chosenMaria Stippas its new Chief Executive Officer. Stipp, former CEO of Sapporo-Stone Brewing company and Lagunitas Brewing company, will look to continue the company's mission of building a strong portfolio of consumer brands, which already includes Suja Organic and Vive Organic. Stipp sits on the board of Siete Family Foods and California Oliver Ranch and brings a deep understanding of the food and beverage market to the position.



Beneo.pngDr. Mike Eberle, Ph.DDr. Mike Eberle is joining the executive Board of Directors at BENEO. Dr. Eberle holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, and has nearly three decades of international food and beverage manufacturing industry experience having worked with companies like Unilever and Rotkappchen. His new role will include presiding over production, supply chain management, and safety and environmental initiatives for the company.


Arctic Glacier added three new members to its senior leadership team: Stephanie Choudri as Chief Financial Officer, Doug Saunders Chief Information Officer, and Travis Bonnell will assume the newly created General Council role. “With this enhanced and energetic Senior Leadership Team, I know we have the right people, with the right combination of skills in the right positions to make a big impact to realize our objectives,” said CEO Peter Laport. The new leadership will help support the organizations talent and focus on continuing the company's year-over-year growth.

Ithaca Hummus named Better Half co-founder Alyssa Bonanno as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Bonanno will oversee the brand's strategic vision, help drive exponential growth, help scale the company, and create opportunities to increase the brand’s positive impact on the industry. Bonanno also serves as a member of the Female Founder Collective, as well as a jury member for the Webby Awards.

Awards and Honors

The American Botanical Council (ABC) has honored former CEO of East Earth Herb, Inc., Peggy Brevoort, and Morris "Mo" Shriftman, founder and CEO of Mozart, LLC, as trustee emerita and trustee emeritus, respectively. Both former trustees have been given honorary lifetime ABC memberships, and will be able to continue attending ABC Advisory Board meetings as well as ABC Board meetings as nonvoting members. 

Brevoort joined the Board of Trustees in 2003 and served as President from 2003 to 2008. In her parting message to ABC, Brevoort wrote: “Thank you to the ABC Board of Trustees for this acknowledgment, to be recognized by one’s peers is always an honor. When I joined the ABC Board in 2003, it was smaller and less formalized. The meetings were then and continued to be a combination of dealing with ABC business and being sidetracked by fascinating subtopics of herbal interest. Each board member was an expert in his or her field, so it was appealing and great fun to digress into esoteric discussions. We all learned a lot!"

Morris, an experienced entrepreneurial marketing executive, also became a trustee in 2003. When looking back at his time with ABC he wrote: "I have learned so much about herbs, medicinal plants, and the environments around them from Mark, ABC Chief Science Officer Stefan Gafner, the distinguished members of the Board of Trustees, and the world-class advisors on the ABC Advisory Board. I was especially inspired by ABC trustees including the late Steven Foster, Fredi Kronenberg, and Norman Farnsworth. I am deeply grateful for the knowledge they have shared with me, giving me insights into the secret life of plants and how much human life and health are intertwined with plant life. This has been one of the greatest learning adventures in my life, and I have profound gratitude to have had this experience for nearly 20 years as a member of the ABC Board of Trustees and now to have been named ABC trustee emeritus. This is a culminating honor of my career in the natural products community."