Camden, New Jersey-based Campbell Soup Co. has appointed Charles Nevin as chief customer officer of meals and beverages, effective Nov. 29. Nevin succeeds Mike Pierson, who was promoted from SVP of sales, meals and beverages to chief customer officer of the snacks division in August.
Pierson had been leading both sales organizations on an interim basis.
Nevin will lead the U.S. retail sales efforts for Campbell’s soups, sauces and beverages business, driving growth across its portfolio of brands, including Campbell’s, Well Yes!, Chunky, Pacific Foods, V8, Prego, Pace, Swanson, and SpaghettiOs. He will report to Chris Foley, president of meals and beverages.
“Our focus in meals and beverages is on driving growth with our category leading brands as we revitalize the center of the store with a new generation of consumers,” said Foley. “Charley’s extensive retail and food industry experience are invaluable as we continue to innovate, partner with our customers and unlock our full growth potential as a division and as a company.”
Nevin joins Campbell from Family Dollar, where he served as merchandising SVP/general merchandise manager for the past four years. Prior to that role, Nevin led merchandising for non-perishable products at The Fresh Market.
With more than 30 years working in retail and consumer products, he brings food experience from roles at Nabisco, Kraft Foods and Hillshire Brands. He previously worked at Campbell from 2005-12 in both sales and marketing roles, including leading customer teams for Albertsons and Walmart, in addition to serving as business director on Chunky soup. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.
Pierson has been with Campbell since 2019. In his new role, Pierson leads the company’s U.S. snacks sales teams, as well as the company’s Latin America and global exports businesses. The snacks business includes a unique and differentiated portfolio with brands such as Goldfish crackers, Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels, Late July tortilla chips, Kettle Brand potato chips, Cape Cod potato chips, Milano cookies, Pepperidge Farm cookies and bread, Lance crackers and more. He reports to Valerie Oswalt, president of Campbell Snacks.
“Mike has advanced our customer partnerships during his time at Campbell and helped us navigate an extremely dynamic operating environment,” said Oswalt. “Mike’s strong engagement with our retailers combined with his expertise in our unique go-to-market approach in snacks will continue to fuel our growth.”
Pierson joined Campbell from Materne North America, where he had served as chief customer officer for two years. He previously was a partner and SVP of sales with Hello Delicious Brands!. Prior to that role, Pierson spent more than a decade in sales leadership and strategy roles with PepsiCo, and nearly eight years as a sales director with Acosta Sales and Marketing.
He had served as VP of sales strategy and trade marketing with Pepperidge Farm from 2013-15. Mike earned his bachelor of arts degree from Saint Bonaventure University. He serves on the Board of Governors for St. Joseph’s University Academy of Food Marketing.
