Peter McGuinness, for six years the chief marketing officer of Chobani LLC, on Aug. 28 was promoted to president, reporting to CEO and founder Hamdi Ulukaya. His promotion effected a number of other executive appointments.
"We created this company with people at the center, and they are the reason for where we are today," said Ulukaya. "Peter has been an amazing member of that journey, and I'm honored and happy to have him as President."
In addition to his current responsibilities managing Chobani's Demand function, McGuinness will oversee Chobani's supply chain, manufacturing, sustainability and research and development functions. The Norwich, N.Y.-based company just opened an R&D/Innovation center at its Twin Falls, Idaho, plant.
"The alignment of these functions comes at a critical time in Chobani's growth and expansion," said a company statement. "The company is continuing its efforts to break down silos and shift towards a nimbler, team-centric way of organizing – a model that was tested and proven through the combination of the company's sales, marketing and new product development functions under him in 2017.
"This collaborative, agile approach is paying off – to date, Chobani is the only major U.S. yogurt brand to grow in dollar sales and market share in 2019." Chobani was Food Processing's 2012 Processor of the Year.
In addition to new role for McGuinness, Chobani promoted several others within the company:
- Federico Muyshondt has been named Chief Customer Officer, reporting to McGuinness. In addition to his current role overseeing retail and international sales activity, Muyshondt's role will now include category development, shopper marketing and revenue and trade management.
- Jason Blaisure has been named Senior Vice President of Supply Chain, reporting to McGuinness. Blaisure will oversee manufacturing and engineering operations, procurement, logistics & customer service and contract manufacturing.
- Parag Agrawal has been named Chief Information Officer, reporting to Ulukaya. He will oversee the company's technological infrastructure and IT operations.
- Grace Zuncic has been named Chief People and Culture Officer, continuing to report to Ulukaya. She remains responsible for maintaining the company's strong company culture and human resources capabilities.
Chobani announced the departure of Mick Beekhuizen, Chief Financial Officer. Michelle Brooks, who joined the company in fall of 2018 as treasurer, will serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer.
