Coca-Cola HBC and Tractor Beverage Company are among the companies welcoming new faces to top jobs.
Coca-Cola HBC and Tractor Beverage Company are among the companies welcoming new faces to top jobs.
Coca-Cola HBC has appointed Davide Franzetti as the new General Manager of its island of Ireland operations, with Franzetti taking on the role on June 1.
Franzetti has worked for Coca-Cola HBC Italy since 2018 holding various roles including Modern Trade Director and most recently Sales Director.
He replaces Miles Karemacher, who is to take up the role of General Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Italy.
Franzetti will lead the beverage business, which is the bottling partner to The Coca-Cola Company for the island of Ireland and distributes a 24/7 beverage portfolio including locally owned ranges, Deep RiverRock and Fruice. Coca-Cola HBC also distributes premium spirit brands for The Campari Group and Edrington, and coffee brands Costa and Caffé Vergnano.
“His tenure as General Manager begins at an exciting time for the organisation following the announcement of a new canning line at Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland’s production facility in Lisburn, in a £17m/€20m investment announced earlier this year,” says Coca-Cola HBC.
“Mr Franzetti’s role will also encompass leading the transition to NetZero by 2040 and working with customers and other industry partners as the sector prepares for the roll-out of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which due to go live in the Republic of Ireland in February 2024.”
Prior to joining Coca-Cola HBC, Franzetti was the General Manager for the Italian division of AB InBev.
Peter Harding, CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe, has been elected as the new President of Unesda Soft Drinks Europe, representing the non-alcoholic drinks industry in Europe. He takes up his two-year mandate from 1 July 2023, taking over the presidency from Ian Ellington of PepsiCo Europe.
Unesda’s membership comprises 10 companies and 25 national associations from across Europe, with members involved in the production and distribution of a wide variety of drinks. Its policy priorities are related to the sector’s sustainability (e.g. circularity of beverage packaging), responsibility (e.g. sugar reduction, marketing and advertising, and labelling) and competitiveness (e.g. taxation, market access).
Harding earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economic History from Durham University in the UK where he developed a keen interest in business and economics. He began his career in the consumer healthcare industry, joining GlaxoSmithKline in 1991. Over the course of his career, Harding has held various leadership roles including General Manager VP Consumer Healthcare Ireland, VP Global Marketing, and General Manager SVP Consumer Healthcare GB & Ireland.
In 2014, Harding joined Lucozade Ribena Suntory, a subsidiary of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe, as its Chief Operating Officer (COO).
In 2018, he was appointed CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe, where he is responsible for leading Suntory's strategic direction and growth across 60 countries across Europe, Africa and overseas territories.
The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment, ACE, has appointed Micol Bertoni as Public Affairs Director for the Italian market.
ACE is the beverage carton industry’s European platform: comprised of three European beverage carton producers (Elopak, SIG Combibloc and Tetra Pak) and their paperboard suppliers (Billerud and Stora Enso).
Italy represents a strategic market for this sector as 64% of milk, 54% of juices and 97% of vegetable drinks are packed in beverage cartons.
Bertoni is responsible for building and managing relationships with decision makers and stakeholders at Italian level, while contributing to optimize the industry’s commitment to increase the rates of collection and recycling of beverage cartons in Italy.
Bertoni was most recently the Senior Public Affairs Manager for Deliveroo Italy. Prior to that, she served as the Head of International and EU Affairs for agri-food policies in Confcooperative, the main organisation representing food and agricultural cooperatives in Italy. She graduated in Business Communication from Sapienza University and obtained a Masters in Corporate Social Responsibility and Management.
Tractor Beverage Company has appointed Gus Rios as Senior Vice President of Marketing.
The company – which is the only certified organic, non-GMO beverage solution for foodservice in the US – says Rios’ appointment will enhance its marketing capabilities and strengthen its competitive advantage.
A multi-discipline marketer with over 15 years of experience in brand management, shopper, foodservice, innovation, and new business marketing, Rios has previously held senior marketing positions at Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
“As Senior Vice President of Marketing at Tractor Beverage Company, Rios will leverage his vast experience and knowledge to lead and oversee all aspects of the company's marketing initiatives. His expertise will encompass brand strategy, advertising, and customer engagement, ensuring that Tractor Beverage remains at the forefront of the ever-evolving foodservice beverage market,” says the company.
Pressed Juicery, an LA cold-pressed juice and functional wellness brand, has appointed Justin Nedelman as the company’s new CEO.
Nedelman is tasked with leading the charge of the company’s evolution and driving its next phase of growth – focusing on product innovation, retail expansion and in-store customer experience.
Nedelman notably launched his career in real estate, and parlayed his unprecedented success into the world of hospitality with his prior roles as Chief Real Estate Officer of FAT Brands Inc., a global franchising company, and Co-Founder of Eureka! Restaurant Group, a chain restaurant group focused on local ingredient sourcing.
“Utilizing his hospitality-driven mindset and guest-first approach, Nedelman will bring a revitalized retail strategy focused on guest experience in-store ranging from customer service to retail design as well as a new product roadmap catalyzing customer acquisition while appealing to brand loyalists,” says Pressed.
Founded in 2010, Pressed has 112 locations nationwide and products are available in more than 3,000 retailers including Sprouts, Whole Foods and Target.
Yarden Inc., the wholly-owned US subsidiary of Golan Heights Winery and Galil Mountain Winery from Israel, has appointed Walter Whyte as its new Vice-President of Sales.
Whyte is the lead executive for the Yarden Wines team in the US and will oversee all sales, promotion, and marketing efforts as a key liaison with the company’s national distributor and retail network.
Yarden’s portfolio includes five labels with a range of varieties and styles from the Galilee in northern Israel: Yarden, Gamla, Hermon, Golan and Galil Mountain.
“This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Golan Heights Winery and we are delighted to welcome Walter Whyte to head up our US business operations during this exciting chapter of our history,” said Assaf Ben Dov, CEO of the Golan Heights Winery. “Walter brings profound experience in all aspects of distributor management, personnel development and brand building to support our team. We’re deeply impressed by Walter’s commitment to introduce new trade and consumer audiences to the depth and quality of our portfolio and overall, to broaden awareness of the top wines of Israel.”
Whyte brings over 20 years of wine and spirits industry experience to Yarden Inc. A New Jersey native who studied Business at the University of Maryland, Whyte served in the United State Air Force in Germany and discovered a passion for wine through extensive travel to the top European regions. Highly experienced in distributor relations, Whyte spent his early years at Allied Beverage Group overseeing the Diageo portfolio, setting a track record for achievement, leadership and teamwork.
Whyte has also worked extensively on the supplier side developing domestic brands such as Peachy Canyon Winery (Paso Robles, CA), Gordon Estate Winery (Pasco, WA) and Whistlepig Whiskey (Shoreham, VT). In the international realm, Whyte is a former Regional Sales Director for Vino del Sol, a family-owned importer of South American wines, and Broken Shed Imports from New Zealand, responsible for exponential growth in volume, distribution and brand visibility.
Prior to his appointment at Yarden Wines, Whyte ran an independent consulting practice assisting high-end, international wineries with all aspects of operations, sales and marketing activity, distributor management and key account relationships.
