James Meiers has been named chief executive officer of organic poultry company Hain Pure Protein.
Meiers’ appointment was announced in a press release issued on December 7 by Hain Pure Protein parent company Hain Celestial.
In his new role, Meiers will oversee the Empire Kosher, Plainville Farms and FreeBird poultry brands and the protein business of Hain Celestial. In addition Meiers will take on a leadership role with Hain Celestial’s Project Terra worldwide cost savings initiative.
According to Meiers’ LinkedIn page, Meiers is a 12-year employee of Hain Celestial, having served in leadership roles within the company’s Grocery & Snacks, Personal Care and Refrigerated divisions.
Hain Pure Protein operates in both the chicken and turkey markets. According to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, the company processed an estimated 1 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis in 2015. It also slaughtered 170 million pounds of live turkeys in 2015.
Other Hain Celestial executive appointments
Gary W. Tickle has been named chief operating officer of Hain Celestial. A leader in business, both in the United States and internationally, having served in various executive roles driving innovation, global strategy development and execution at Nestlé Group.
Tickle most recently served as president and chief executive officer of Nestle Infant Nutrition North America with responsibility for the Gerber and Nestle brands. Prior to this role, he served as the global head, Maternal and Infant Nutrition Strategic Business Unit in Vevey, Switzerland, as the Regional Business Head, South Asia based in New Delhi, India in Infant Nutrition and Chief Executive Officer, Auckland, New Zealand with responsibility for Baking, Beverages, Cereals, Confections, Frozen Food. Tickle will oversee the sales and marketing functions for the Better-for-You Snacking and Better-for-You Pantry platforms and brands in the United States.
Jerome "Jay" W. Erskin is joining Hain Celestial as chief supply chain officer.
He started his business career at Kraft Foods as a manufacturing and procurement manager. Erskin also served in various capacities as plant director and procurement director at The Dannon Company, Inc.; manufacturing director at MARS Petcare, NA; vice president, operations at Chobani, LLC; and more recently, chief operating officer at SK Food Group, Inc.
Erskin will oversee the supply chain as well as productivity for Hain Celestial United States.
James "Jamie"
F. G. Fay joins Hain Celestial as Chief Customer Officer with a substantial background as a senior sales and marketing executive in the natural, conventional and mass channels. Most recently Jamie served as Senior Vice President, Global Sales for Nature's Path Foods. Previously, Jamie worked in positions of increasing responsibility at Mars, Inc. ascending to a Senior Vice President, Sales role on the North America Chocolate business. Jamie also worked in various sales and marketing positions for Group Danone in the United States and Canada. Jamie will oversee the sales functions for Hain Celestial United States including Consumer and Customer Analytics and Trade Marketing along with the marketing function for Better-for-You Baby.
Additionally, Hain Celestial appointed
Leah Dunmore as vice president, marketing, Better-for-You Pantry for Hain Celestial United States. She previously held positions at Campbell Soup Company and Mars Chocolate. Earlier in her career, Leah spent over a decade with SC John in various marketing leadership roles across a wide range of brands.
At Celestial Seasonings,
Tim Collins joined the company as vice president, marketing, with responsibility for the Celestial Seasonings tea and Dream plant-based beverage brands. Earlier in his career, he worked with Kraft Heinz Company, Starbucks and Procter & Gamble.
James Skidmore has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Hain Daniels, having joined the company with the Orchard House Foods Limited acquisition in December 2015. Skidmore will be responsible for the Hain Daniels business with its Grocery, Fruit and Chilled and Frozen business units featuring the Hartley's, New Covent Garden Soup Co.,
Linda McCartney's, Sun-Pat and Robertson's brands, among others.
