ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:

Global Dairy Platform, Rosemont, Ill.
Royal FrieslandCampina chief executive officer Cees t’Hart was elected chairman, effective Jan. 1, 2015, succeeding Arla Foods chief executive officer Peder Tuborgh, who has chaired the organization since 2011.

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS:

Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark.
Dr. Christine Daughertywas named vice president, animal well-being programs and technology, replacing Dr. Dean Danilson, who is retiring after 26 years with the company. Daugherty will be responsible for leading the company’s commitment to proper farm animal treatment, including overseeing the Tyson FarmCheck program, which includes third-party, on-farm animal well-being audits, working with an external Animal Well-Being Advisory Panel and commitment to additional research. She will also be responsible for managing the company’s animal well-being staff as well as animal handling training and audits at the company’s processing plants. Daugherty joined Tyson Foods in 2003, serving as an attorney and providing counsel in animal welfare, research and development, intellectual property and food safety. She was promoted to director of intellectual property and technology development for Tyson Foods in 2011, and two years later was appointed chief technology officer for Cobb-Vantress, a poultry breeding company owned by Tyson Foods.

Bob Evans Farms, Inc., New Albany, Ohio
Steve Davis stepped down as chief executive officer and a director of the company, effective immediately.Mark Hood, chief financial officer, and Mike Townsley, president of the Bob Evans Foods business unit, will take over the interim office of the chief executive to provide ongoing leadership and oversight of day-to-day operations. Both will remain in their current positions while carrying out their new responsibilities. To provide ongoing support for the CEO, the board has formed a Transition Committee, consisting of independent directors Mary Kay Haben, Doug Benham and Larry McWilliams. The board also formed a CEO Search Committee to supervise the selection and evaluation of candidates. The committee consists of independent directors Mary Kay Haben, Doug Benham, David Head, Kathy Lane and Paul Williams, who will serve as chair.

Sysco Corp., Houston, Texas
Greg Keller was appointed president of SYGMA, a Columbus, Ohio-based subsidiary focused on serving chain restaurant customers, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Keller began his foodservice career at SYGMA in 2000, and since then has continuously held sales leadership and executive roles. He took on additional responsibility as vice president of corporate business development for Sysco in 2010, where he was instrumental in restructuring Sysco's national account sales team and developing functional teams to support the growth and management of the company’s national accounts business. In 2011, he became vice president of contract sales, where he managed the sales teams responsible for the travel and leisure and restaurant segments. In 2013, Keller became vice president of chain restaurants for Sysco, in addition to his ongoing SYGMA duties. Meanwhile, Tom Bené was appointed executive vice president and president of foodservice operations, also effective Jan. 1, 2015, succeeding Mike Green, who previously announced his intention to retire at the end of 2014 after 24 years of service. Bené will be responsible for Sysco's U.S. broadline operations, SYGMA, specialty meat companies, FreshPoint, Guest Supply, European Imports, international, shared services and revenue management. Bené joined Sysco as executive vice president and chief merchandising officer in March 2013, and was named executive vice president and chief commercial officer in August 2013. Prior to joining Sysco, Bené was president of PepsiCo Foodservice, where he held a variety of positions in sales, operations, franchise development and general management over 23 years of service.

Kahiki Foods, Inc., Columbus, Ohio
Bob Helland was named new vice president of sales, responsible for leading the company’s sales team, with a focus on trade marketing programs and developing strong relationships with retailers in key markets. Helland brings more than 28 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. Throughout his career, Helland has managed sales and distribution systems for General Mills, Pillsbury, Morningstar Foods and most recently, Bran Zan Holdings.

Sargento Foods Inc., Plymouth, Wis.
Joshua Cox was hired as sales analyst for the Walmart and club channel businesses in the consumer products division, responsible for routine reporting, store-of-the-community analyses and promotional calendar details. He will also provide updates on trends, market dynamics and routine reporting. Before joining Sargento, Cox worked at Field Agent, where he held several positions, including assistant account manager, financial manager and project manager.

Cargill Meat Solutions, Wichita, Kan.
Ruth Kimmelshue was appointed president, replacing Jody Horner, who is leaving the company to become president of Midland University after 30 years with Cargill Meat Solutions.Kimmelshue joined Cargill in 1986, and previously served as president of Cargill Salt and Cargill AgHorizons. She will remain president of Cargill Turkey and Cooked Meats.

Kraft Foods Group, Inc., Northfield, Ill.
John Cahill, chairman of the board of directors, was named chairman and CEO, succeeding Tony Vernon, who announced his intent to retire effective Dec. 27. Vernon has served as CEO since the company's spin-off from Mondelez International in October 2012. Prior to that, he was executive vice president and president, Kraft Foods North America. Cahill was previously chairman and CEO of Pepsi Bottling Group.

FOODSERVICE:
 

The Wendy's Co., Dublin, Ohio
Todd Penegor was promoted to executive vice president, CFO and international, and will maintain his existing responsibilities for finance, development and information technology. Meanwhile, Bob Wright was promoted to executive vice president, COO, maintaining his existing responsibilities for company and franchise restaurant operations and taking on a larger portfolio of customer facing responsibilities, including in-restaurant technology, restaurant facilities and the continuous improvement of the customer service experience. With more than 20 years of restaurant industry leadership, Wright is redefining the customer experience to enable the brand's next phase of growth. Lastly, the incumbent leader of digital marketing efforts, Brandon Rhoten, was elevated to vice president, digital experience, taking on a broader role with the company's realignment of investments into technology and customer engagement.

Restaurant Brands International Inc., Canada
The owner of Tim Hortons and BURGER KING appointed Daniel Schwartz as chief executive officer, international, responsible for leading the company's day-to-day business and overall business strategy. Also new to the executive team are Elías Díaz Sesé, president, Tim Hortons; José Cil, president, BURGER KING; Scott Bonikowsky, chief communication and corporate affairs officer; Heitor Gonçalves, chief people and information officer; Jill Granat, general counsel and corporate secretary; Josh Kobza , chief financial officer; and Cara Piggot, senior vice president, supply chain. Furthermore, David Clanachan was appointed president and COO, Tim Hortons, Canada, while Mike Meilleur was appointed president, Tim Hortons U.S. Additional appointments to the Tim Hortons team include Peter Nowlan, chief marketing officer; Tammy Sadinsky Martin, senior vice president, retail; Felipe Athayde, executive vice president, U.S. development; and Sami Siddiqui , executive vice president, finance.

SUPPLIERS:

Key Technology, Walla Walla, Wash.
Bert Switten was appointed technical sales support manager, optical sorting, responsible for providing technical support for chute- and belt-fed digital sorters. Prior to this promotion, Switten was a customer service engineer, and prior to the Key Technology-Visys merger, was a customer service engineer for Visys.

Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery, Inc., Sturtevant, Wis.
David Navin was appointed president and CEO, responsible for overseeing new business and product development for the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Navin began his career at Spee-Dee in 1987, and left 10 years later to create a new company. He returned to Spee-Dee eight years ago to lead its business development efforts within its three core industries.