Dive Brief:
- Kraft Heinz is combining its procurement and supply chain functions under a single banner, effective July 1, as it embarks on a larger operational restructuring, according to a company press release.
- As part of the combination, the food manufacturer named Janelle Aydin global chief procurement and supply chain officer, also effective July 1. Aydin has been with the Philadelphia cream cheese maker since 2023, most recently serving as global chief procurement and sustainability officer, per her company bio.
- The company’s current global chief supply chain officer, Flavio Torres, decided to exit the company, a Kraft Heinz spokesperson told Supply Chain Dive. Torres will leave the role but remain with the company as an adviser through the transition period.
Dive Insight:
Kraft Heinz’s leadership team has undergone a significant shakeup in the last year as the company navigates shifts in consumer spending and preferences as well as adjustments to its strategy.
Former Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane stepped into the chief executive role at Kraft Heinz on Jan. 1 and soon after paused the company’s plan to split into two businesses focused on separate product portfolios. Around the same time, the company also brought on another former Kellanova veteran, Nicolas Amaya, as president of its North American business unit.
Amaya will remain in his role under the latest restructuring, but the company is consolidating its regional operating units outside North America.
“We are building momentum across many areas of the business, and this regional structure will help us meaningfully accelerate and scale our progress,” Cahillane said in the press release. “Additionally, combining Procurement and Supply Chain into one central function allows us to more effectively manage our end-to-end value chain and strengthen supply chain resilience.”
Aydin will be tasked with leading this new combined function less than a year after taking on her current role. Prior to that, she served as chief procurement officer for the North America region, adding the title and responsibility of chief sustainability officer in January 2024.
"Janelle was selected to lead the combined function based on the results she has delivered in connecting Procurement more closely to the business, and her deep experience in unlocking value across the full supply chain,” the spokesperson said.
Before joining Kraft Heinz, Aydin spent nearly two decades at beverage company Diageo, which owns brands such as Guinness and Johnnie Walker, serving as chief procurement officer for nearly four years.
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