Bob Gelser, CEO of Once Again Nut Butter, has announced that his 20-year tenure with the 100% employee-owned company will come to an end with his retirement this September. The executive lead the brand in its growth from a $4-5M business into a multi-facility operation nearing $70M in sales, helped drive significant capital investments, and solidified the brand's food safety and quality assurance programs. His time with the company will be marked by commitment to its employees, ensuring the company maintained its employee-ownership model and development of clear governance structure and financial strategy to support long-term employee retirement benefits.

Wisdom Natural Brands has named Aaron Henderson as its new Chief Executive Officer. Henderson, with 25 years of industry experience, has managed multiple consulting engagements with the company through The Touch Agency. In his new role, he will focus on driving growth and leading a branding refresh, expanding the product portfolio, optimizing omnichannel strategies, and increasing awareness of the SweetLeaf brand and its natural, zero-calorie sugar offerings.

Gencor Pacific announced the promotion of five of its internal team members:

• Archie Veeravalli, Vice President of Sales
• Mariko Hill, Director of Scientific Affairs
• Jaswinder (Jassi) Kaur, Commercial General Manager
• Christopher Bailey, Ph.D., Business Development Director
• Svetha Veeravalli, Human Resources Partner

Each individual will now oversee several new responsibilities including driving the company's revenue growth, oversee scientific strategy, boost profitability, and increase market share in the Pet End Use area, respectively. “As we celebrate our 25th year in business, we are thrilled to honor and recognize these emerging leaders,” said Ramasamy Venkatesh, Managing Director of Gencor Pacific. “I look forward to seeing the continued evolution of our team under their leadership.”

Margaret (Peggy) Poole, Ph.D., has been announced as the 86th President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Board. The global food industry veteran member has served on the IFT Board of Directors for four years, has served on the Chief Research Officers Council, judged for the IFT Student Association (IFTSA) College Bowl, and been a reviewer for the Feeding Tomorrow Fund's Dr. Elwood F. Caldwell Graduate Fellowship. Poole has held leadership roles in R&D, regulatory affairs, and quality assurance for companies including Kraft Foods, Häagen-Dazs, Leprino Foods and Bigelow Tea Company.

“Stepping into the role of IFT President is a true honor,” said Poole. “I understand there are challenges and opportunities facing the global food system, and I’m ready to help guide IFT through them. This is a pivotal moment for our community, and I’m excited to lead with clarity, courage, and a focus on advancing food science.”

The student-governed community of members of IFT has presented Jana Schreuder from Stellenbosch University in South Africa as President of the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) effective September 1, 2025. Taking over for Cornell University’s Viral Shukla, Schreuder is a Ph.D. student studying Food Science with a focus on Vibrational Spectroscopy & Chemometrics, holds a Harry Crossley scholarship, is investigating the use of near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for rapid pathogen detection, and is the first IFTSA President from a non-U.S. institution. 

Eric Ellis is now the new Chief Financial Officer of IFT. With over two decades of financial management, strategic planning, and business leadership experience, Ellis will handle all IFT financial operations, including control, reporting, audit, analysis, and investment oversight, while also leading the facilities, information technology, and risk management teams. The new CFO's education experience include: Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in Lake Forest, Illinois. A current member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Finance Professionals (AFP), his previous roles include serving as CFO of the National Restaurant Association.

“Joining an organization like IFT presents an exciting opportunity to not only scale operations but also shape the future of a leading organization whose members are shaping the future of food,” explained Ellis. “As CFO, I’m committed to making a meaningful difference by driving financial strategy that empowers innovation, supports our people, and delivers lasting value to our community.”

Jennifer Briggs is the new CEO of The Synergy Company. A former Chief Executive Officer of Modern Times Brewing, and CXO for Karl Strauss Brewing, Briggs spent 12 years on the executive team at New Belgium Brewing and is currently serving as Board Chair of the National Center for Employee Ownership and an Executive Fellow at Rutgers University. At Synergy, the new CEO will use her years of consumer packaged goods and food and beverage industry experience to continue the brand's unwavering commitment to vertical integration, high-quality formulations, certified organic and innovative manufacturing methods, and their novel and sustainable ingredient development and sourcing.

"The Synergy Company’s legacy of uncompromising quality and its pioneering approach to certified organic nutritional supplements are truly inspiring. Mitchell and Jayne May’s vision, along with the company’s dedication to its community, employees, and the planet, is what drew me here. I see a tremendous opportunity to connect more people with the company’s commitment to excellence, purpose, and wellness. Together, we’ll explore new ideas to help humankind thrive,” said Briggs.

Jason Berndt is Lonza's new Head of Group Operations, Executive Vice President and member of the Executive Committee (EC). He succeeds Maria Soler Nunez, who has stepped into the newly created role of Chief Quality Officer and Executive Vice President. Berndt has consulted at McKinsey and Company, spent over eight years at Teva Pharmaceuticals under different positions, worked six years in manufacturing operations at Procter & Gamble, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Nunez, a former Chief Quality Officer at Novatris with 28 years of experience in manufacturing and quality roles in the pharmaceutical industry, joined Lonza in 2022 as Head of Group Operations and member of the EC.

Wolfgang Wienand, Chief Executive Officer, Lonza, shared his thoughts on the appointments: “I am pleased to welcome Jason to our One Lonza Team and to warmly congratulate Maria on her new role. With our ambition to further elevate Lonza’s execution excellence in manufacturing, engineering and large capital projects, Jason will be a strong addition to the team with his hands-on experience and proven leadership from the shop floor over site operations to large network transformations across the US, Europe and Asia. Jason will work closely with Maria and our three Business Platforms to further strengthen the operational, technical and quality foundations for the growth journey ahead of us.

Cymbiotika has named Andrei Najjar as its newest Chief Marketing Officer. The new company exec has previous experience leading brand transformations and high-growth strategies at wellness, CPG, fashion, entertainment, and hospitality companies and held executive positions at PepsiCo, Target, Fullscreen Inc., and Abercrombie & Fitch, and most recently served as SVP of Marketing at Pressed Juicery. "Joining Cymbiotika at this moment is a rare opportunity to help define what the next decade of wellness will look like,” shared Najjar. “This brand has already disrupted the market through innovation, integrity, and design. Now, we’re going to scale that disruption globally — building a cultural movement that inspires people to live their most vibrant, intentional lives.”

At Cymbiotika, Najjar will look to expand the brand's continued development as a leader within the wellness space through cultural storytelling, premium positioning, and data-driven omnichannel expansion—accelerating momentum in retail, DTC, and international markets. The integration of performance marketing, influencer ecosystems, global partnerships, and experiential activations that echo beyond the supplement aisle will help the CMO deepen the company's expansion and its cultural footprint.

Zach Thomann is the new Chief Operating Officer of iHerb. Reporting directly to CEO Emun Zabihi, the new COO will help usher in the next wave of global capacity expansion, oversee the company's worldwide operations and its third-party logistics providers across its growing network of fulfillment centers and inventory hubs. A former Chief Operating Officer for the Americas and Asia-Pacific at GXO Logistics, Thomann has also held President and COO positions with PFSweb, leading their operations that handled over $3 billion in annual transactions across the platform and he grew a global logistics network spanning the U.S., Canada, UK, and Europe. “I’m excited to help scale iHerb’s logistics engine for the future,” said Thomann. “This company is making wellness accessible at a global scale, and I’m proud to be part of a mission-driven team focused on operational excellence and innovation.”

Tony Lukas is the newest member of the The Acheson Group (TAG) consulting team. The dietary supplement expert will help the organization expand its consulting services to companies looking to better understand the changes in regulation for the industry caused by new government officials and policies. TAG will provide expert guidance on new challenges, FDA registration, determining compliance with product claim, self-affirmed GRAS use, New Dietary Ingredient Notification (NDIN) submissions, and assistance with FDA or FTC mislabeled claim warning letters. “The approval of new dietary ingredients for supplements are treated rigorously like a pharmaceutical ingredient but the manufacturing and testing are treated much like that for foods – which can make the regulatory compliance very complex. I look forward to working with dietary supplement providers on health, safety and compliance," said Lukas.

Paul Buhler is the newest National Sales Director of the ingredients division at Butter Buds. News of the promotion underlines the diary and non-dairy concentrate manufacturer's ongoing commitment to fostering talent and strengthening its sales leadership. “It is a great pleasure to share the news that Paul Buhler has been promoted to National Sales Director of Butter Buds Food Ingredients,” expressed John Buhler, President of Butter Buds Inc. “Paul originally joined the company in 2018 and has spent years learning all aspects of our business—from warehousing, sample requests and fulfillment, applications and R&D, to multiple sales roles where he produced excellent results by growing sales in both domestic and international markets. Paul has demonstrated great sales ability and his enthusiasm towards building authentic relationships both inside and outside the company makes Paul a perfect fit for this role leading our sales team.” As National Sales Director, Buhler will develop, lead and oversee pricing and contract negotiations, monitor market trends and front line efforts to introduce North American customers to new technologies and solutions.

Tutta Bella introduced Cate Hardy as its new Chief Executive Officer and announced Joe Fugere will transition to a Founder and Board Member role. The new CEO brings over 20 years of experience in senior executive roles having served as CEO of PCC Community Markets and most recently CEO of The Wine Group. Hardy's work history also includes national board positions with CPG, grocery, and casual dining companies and currently serves on the boards of WX Brands and Kitchen & Market, and formerly served on the boards of Suja Life, Crunch Fitness, and Ballast Point Brewing. 

"...Now that Tutta Bella pizzas are available in over 1,000 grocery and club stores nationwide – in addition to our five Seattle-area restaurants – it is the right time to transition leadership of the company to an executive with the demonstrated experience to lead Tutta Bella in its continued rapid national growth and expansion. Cate’s track record of driving growth at premium food and beverage businesses brings exactly the expertise Tutta Bella needs to continue scaling our brand nationwide without compromising the quality and tradition that defines us,” said Fugere who is moving on to a new role with the company, focusing on the brand's culture, establishing key external relationships, and supporting long-term strategic growth. “Joe has built something extraordinary - a brand rooted in tradition that has evolved from a single Seattle pizzeria into a national leader in authentic Neapolitan pizza,” said Hardy.

Nutraceutical industry veteran, Tammy-Jeniel Walton, is now the Commercial Director of Greenvit. Walton, who brings over two decades of distribution, product development, and customer engagement knowledge to the position, will focus on the company's Aronia proficiency to assist their partners engagement with their target audience. “Greenvit is more than an ingredient supplier – it’s a true partner in innovation. Our Aronia expertise, combined with the diversity of our clean-label botanicals, creates unique opportunities for brands to connect with today’s health-conscious consumer.”