Dive Brief:
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Hain Celestial named Chad Marquardt as president of its North American operations as the organic and natural food products company looks to strengthen its business in a region responsible for nearly 60% of its sales. Marquardt, who replaces Ari Labell, will report to CEO Wendy Davidson. His first day is March 25.
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Marquardt will oversee “strategy and execution” in the U.S. and Canada and be involved in implementing Hain’s multi-year transformation plan designed to create long-term sustainable growth. Hain’s portfolio includes Celestial Seasonings teas, Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws and Greek Gods yogurt.
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The executive change comes as Hain’s North American operations have struggled despite recent signs of improvement. During its fiscal second quarter, sales in the region were $267.7 million, a 5.2% decrease compared to the prior period a year earlier and a sequential improvement from the 9.8% decrease in the first quarter. Shares in Hain hit a 52-week low on Monday and have declined 23% this year.
Dive Insight:
As Davidson, a CPG veteran with experience at Kellogg and Tyson Foods works to scale Hain’s business and drive long-term, profitable growth, she’s making a big change and bringing in a familiar face to help.
Davidson has not been shy about making changes to Hain since she took over a little over a year ago. Last September, she announced Hain planned to restructure its business to improve growth and generate annualized savings of $130 million to $150 million by its fiscal 2027 year.
Marquardt arrives at Hain from Glanbia Performance Nutrition where he was chief customer officer in the Americas. He was responsible for commercial delivery across the company’s portfolio of snacks, beverages and supplement brands in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Davidson previously served as president of the segment before joining Hain.
In a statement, Davidson said Marquardt brings “deep strategic experience and expertise” across several functions, including sales, customer development, channel expansion and omnichannel brand building in the better-for-you consumer packaged goods space. “His proven results building high-performing teams and successfully leading organizations through complex transformation while driving long-term, profitable growth makes him an outstanding addition to the Executive Leadership Team,” she said.