The maker of Skinny Pop popcorn and Paqui chips is about to get a boost in credibility with the appointment of two snacking industry veterans. Effective September 12, the company is welcoming Greg Christenson as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Craig Shiesley as Chief Operating Officer and President, North America. In addition, Brian Goldberg, Amplify’s Chief Financial Officer, will transition into the newly created role of Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President Corporate Development.
“We are very excited to welcome Greg and Craig to our team. Both bring an extensive depth of experience across high growth oriented international consumer products companies,” said Tom Ennis, President and Chief Executive Officer. “I am particularly excited about their experience at WhiteWave, where they grew a business that was at a similar stage in the development curve to Amplify. I am confident they will help us execute on our long-term plan of growing into a multi-billion dollar global better-for-you snack food company.”
Christenson, the new EVP and CFO, most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of WhiteWave, with responsibility for all public company financial and accounting aspects. Having also served as Chief Financial Officer, America Foods and Beverages, and Senior Vice President of WhiteWave, he was integral in driving sustained growth in the business, including the acquisition and integration of six companies, selling the company to Danone, generating continued profit improvements, and leading the development and strengthening of its finance, accounting and IT functions. Prior to joining WhiteWave, Christenson was with Oberto Brands, Kraft Foods, and spent the first seven years of his career in public accounting, according to a press release.
“Greg is a well regarded public company financial executive with significant leadership experience managing all financial and accounting functions, driving business performance. He will be a strong asset to our team and a fantastic business partner,” said Ennis.
Shiesley, a 25-year consumer packaged goods veteran with experience in marketing, innovation, general management, and international expansion across several categories, also joins Amplify from DanoneWave. There, he held several positions including his most recent position as President of Vega® and the Performance Nutrition Division, leading the integration of Vega Nutritionals. Prior to Vega, Shiesley also served as President of Plant-Based Foods and Beverages, Yogurt and Canada at DanoneWave, aiding in the growth of the Silk® brand. Prior to DanoneWave, he spent 17 years at S.C. Johnson.
“Craig is a talented international CPG executive with a successful track record of transforming categories and creating large scale better-for-you brands across multiple sales channels and geographies, and we look forward to his strategic contributions as we build upon our growth potential globally,” Ennis continued.
In Goldberg’s newly created role, he will be primarily focused on corporate strategy, strategic partnerships, merger and acquisition execution, and integration, as well as other global corporate development initiatives, the company says. Ennis noted that his contributions have been invaluable to Amplify, “particularly as we transitioned from a private to public company and completed strategic brand acquisitions to build our leading international product portfolio.”
Will we be seeing new acquisitions and increased innovation from the newly bolstered Amplify team? Deli Market News will share with you the latest.
