Carlos Abrams-Rivera is leaving Campbell Soup, where he was president of Campbell Snacks, to become president of Kraft Heinz Co.'s "U.S. zone" business.
Abrams-Rivera will take over Kraft Heinz's largest business unit on Feb. 3, remaining with Campbell till then.
“The U.S. represents the majority of our company’s overall business, so this is an enormously important role," said CEO Miguel Patricio, who has served as interim president of the U.S. Zone, in addition to his global duties, since joining Kraft Heinz in July 2019. "I have every confidence that Carlos is the visionary leader we need to drive the U.S. business forward at this moment of transformation.”
Kraft Heinz's news release noted the hiring is another step "to rebuild its business momentum with a focus on driving business growth through consumer-first marketing, innovation and people development."
Abrams-Rivera also had "an enormously important role" at Campbell, where snacks has become a $3.8 billion business through legacy brands like Pepperidge Farm, Goldfish and Milano, as well as acquired brands Snyder’s of Hanover, Lance, Kettle Brand, Cape Cod, Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps and Late July, among others. "The combination of these brands makes Campbell the No. 3 snacks company in the United States," a Campbell news release said.
Abrams-Rivera will continue to lead Campbell's snacks division through the end of the company’s fiscal second quarter (Jan. 27), at which time CEO Mark Clouse will take over until a new leader is in place.
A native of Puerto Rico, Abrams-Rivera, 52, began his career at Kraft Foods, then he went to Mondelez International when that company was spun off in 2012. He's been with Campbell since 2015.
