Evelyng Ordaz Santana

Saanroo has announced the appointment of two key leaders; Evelyng Ordaz Santana as Business Development Manager, Mexico, and Viral Shah as Senior Business Development Director, North America.

Ordaz Santana, a food engineer with more than two decades of expertise in the food, beverage, and dietary supplement industries, will concentrate on strengthening partnerships with supplement manufacturers throughout Latin America. "My focus is to expand Saanroo’s reputation as that reliable, science-driven partner in the nutraceutical space,” said Ordaz Santana. “By combining deep technical understanding with strong relationships, my goal is to support manufacturers in bringing well-designed, evidence-based products to market across the region.”

Viral Shah

Shah will act as technical commercial leader in North America, converting scientific data into unique value propositions to help connect brand leaders, marketers, and R&D departments. He will also oversee the strategic business growth efforts across the company's portfolios, support key accounts, emerging brands, and innovative partners in the dietary supplements and functional food and beverage sectors.

Greenspace Herbs has appointed Greg Arabatzis as Chief Business Officer, USA. With more than 20 years of U.S. nutraceutical ecosystem brand building, ingredient commercialization, and channel development experience, Arabatzis will oversee the company's regulatory positioning, strategic partnerships, and national market rollout. As CBO, he will guide the company's regulatory positioning, strategic partnerships, and national market rollout efforts. 

“The U.S. market rewards clinically substantiated innovation. Quantum Ayurveda stands out because it is not theoretical; it is supported by published scientific data. Our focus now is structured commercialization, education, and partnership development," shared Arabatzis.

Gimme Seaweed has introduced Chris Lansing as Chief Executive Officer. A veteran consumer packaged goods executive, Lansing was most recently the CEO of Health-Ade Kombucha and has held senior leadership positions with Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Hershey's, and Pete's Coffee. With a history of building and scaling mission-driven brands, Lansing will prioritize accelerating distribution, expanding innovation, and strengthening the brand's platform for long-term, sustainable growth. 

“I’ve long admired Gimme Seaweed for its authentic brand, exceptional product quality, and clear purpose,” said Lansing. “Seaweed is one of the most exciting and sustainable food categories to be in and has quickly gained popularity with consumers, especially among Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers.  Gimme is uniquely positioned to introduce more consumers to the delicious and crave-worthy Gimme products. I’m honored to join the team and excited to help unlock the next stage of growth.”

Peter McGuinness is the new Chief Executive Officer of Bel North America, which is looking to accelerate growth and advance its Purpose*Full Snacking strategy. The new CEO, a former member of the Chobani team who also worked with Impossible Foods, will use his years of experience in brand building, operations, manufacturing, and culture experience to further the company's objectives. McGuinness will also manage operations across New York City, Chicago, and Montreal offices as well as five Bel manufacturing plants throughout the U.S. and Canada. “Bel’s mission-led model, rooted in 160 years of innovation and entrepreneurship, is both inspiring and distinctive,” said McGuinness. “I’m excited to help accelerate Purpose*Full Snacking across North America and beyond — making it easier for people to snack more intentionally and deliciously with fruit, veggie, and dairy options that bring nourishment and joy, and maybe a laugh or two along the way.”

To help expand its global import/export business, Bioenergy Life Science (BLS) has named Michael Crabtree, ND, as General Manager. Crabtree will lead the company's expansion initiative to give the company's U.S. customers direct access to high-quality raw branded and non-branded Chinese ingredients. The strategy will remove trader markups while simultaneously granting BLS branded ingredients and finished products access to enter the Chinese and other global nutraceutical markets.

Crabtree elaborated on the advantages of the program: “It’s become clear that we’re very uniquely positioned to provide that connection because we work directly with contract manufacturers in Asia. We have native Mandarin speakers on both the Chinese and American sides who speak English. That eliminates miscommunication, accelerates problem solving, and builds confidence at every stage of the transaction. BLS manages logistics, warehousing and operational complexity that can distract our customers from their core business. This enables them to reinvest margins where they belong: in marketing, brand building and customer acquisition.”

John Rota

John Rota has joined RäFoods as its Chief Marketing Officer. Rota will spearhead the company's mission of operationalizing its Living Nutrition platform while managing brand architecture, portfolio strategy, go-to-market execution, retail activation, and integrated storytelling across RäFoods' product lines. With a background in entertainment, consumer marketing, and purpose-driven campaigns, Rota has led strategic marketing and production initiatives across premium content organizations and global brands and will construct the infrastructure and accountability required to translate Living Nutrition from principle to performance.

"Living Nutrition only matters if it's operationalized," said Rota. "This role is about building repeatable systems that connect belief to behavior — across product development, retail partnerships, and consumer engagement. When narrative and execution align, growth becomes durable and repeatable."

Dr. Uwe Boltersdorf has been named as BENEO's Chief Operating Officer. Succeeding Dr. Mike Eberle, Dr. Uwe has held roles with Bayer AG, Lanxess AG, thyssenkrupp AG, and Sulzer AG. With a doctorate from the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT in Oberhausen, the new COO has over two decades of international management experience in production, process development, and engineering to the position. Currently, Dr. Uwe serves as COO of BENEO's sister company, CropEnergies AG, and will fulfill the responsibilities of both positions moving forward.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to use my 25 years of international experience in the plant engineering and chemical industries to support BENEO’s growth trajectory," stated Dr. Uwe. "Operations play a critical role in allowing us to serve our customers and support the market requirements. I look forward to driving further operational excellence by leveraging the synergies in my two senior leadership roles as COO at BENEO and CropEnergies AG.”

Industry nonprofit, Naturally Proud Network (NPN), elected several new members to its Board of Directors. At 2026 Natural Products Expo West, the organization confirmed the election of:

• President: Kurt Callaghan
• Vice President: Mehgan Styke
• Secretary: Douglas Jones
• Treasurer: Randy Kreienbrink
• Programs & Events: Brit Swann
• Membership & Community Engagement: Jake Klinghammer
• Marketing & Communications: Jim Hibsch

“Now more than ever, it’s so important for members of the LGBTQ+ community to feel seen and heard in the workplace, and we’re proud to help foster that community,” said newly appointed NPN President Kurt Callaghan. “I can already feel renewed energy from the board as we work to elevate our mission and build upon the foundation our founders laid.”

Croft Hollingsworth

Vantage Nutrition appointed Croft Hollingsworth as site director of its US manufacturing facility in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. A seasoned engineering and operational leader, Hollingsworth has been a name in the nutritional and food industries for more than 25 years, having held senior leadership positions at Capsugel (a division of Pfizer), Diana Ingredients (Symrise) and Health Wright Products. As site director, he will focus on site operations across R&D, product development, supply chain, manufacturing, logistics and quality while prioritizing enhanced operational excellence, reinforcing quality and regulatory standards, and ensuring the site is positioned to meet increasing customer demand.

“I am delighted to join Vantage Nutrition at such an exciting stage in its growth journey," shared Hollingsworth. "The company has strong capabilities in specialized liquid formats, and I look forward to working with the team to further strengthen operations and support the next phase of expansion in North America.”

Antonio Martinez Descalzo

Antonio Martinez Descalzo is the new Chief Executive Officer of Novella Innovative Technology. With a background in probiotics and specialty ingredients, Descalzo has held several senior leadership positions at ADM, including Vice President of Innovation and Business Development Director of its Health and Wellness division. The biotech and nutrition veteran will lean on his more than twenty years experience within the life sciences, health, and nutraceutical industries to lead the company in its transition from R&D phase to full-scale commercial operation.

“2026 marks a pivotal operational year for Novella,” stated Kobi Avidan, Chairman and co-founder of Novella. “Having successfully completed pilot production, we are moving into full industrial manufacturing, responding to the global demand for precise, consistent, and high-potency botanical ingredients. Martinez’s combined background as a seasoned nutraceutical expert and global commercial strategist makes him the ideal leader to steer Novella toward becoming a commercial powerhouse.”

Michael McMurray has joined the ADM Board of Directors and will serve on its Audit and Sustainability and Technology committees. A former LyondellBasell Industries N.V. executive vice president and CFO, McMurray has held multiple leadership roles at Owens Corning and at Royal Dutch Shell. The new Board member holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Trinity University and an MBA from Tulane University in addition to over thirty years of financial and strategic leadership experience, having held key positions at leading global industrial companies and served on the boards of Flowserve Corporation and the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas.

“ADM has a proud history of connecting harvest to home, and I am excited to be part of its equally bright future,” said McMurray. “I look forward to working with the Board, management and entire ADM team to help advance our growth strategy and deliver on the many opportunities before us.”