Chicago, Illinois-based Whole Earth Brands Inc. has promoted Duane Portwood to the position of chief financial officer, effective immediately.
Portwood will report to Whole Earth Brands CEO Albert Manzone.
“We are thrilled to welcome Duane as our new chief financial officer. He adds tremendous strategic and financial depth to our team, which will be invaluable as we continue to execute on our growth initiatives. His diverse experience spans CPG, big-box retail and pharmaceuticals, with each bringing a number of critical experiences and capabilities that will further build upon our strong finance organization,” said Manzone.
“The board and I are pleased with the outcome of our search process and look forward to Duane’s contributions as we continue to grow shareholder value,” he said.
Portwood brings more than 30 years of corporate financial management and executive leadership experience with both public and private companies, including as a CFO and controller.
Most recently, he was CFO for Tegra Global, a private sports apparel manufacturer. Previously, he served as EVP and CFO for Akorn Inc., a generic pharmaceutical company, where he took over financial leadership amid complex circumstances to improve Akorn’s capital structure.
He also held a 10-year tenure at The Home Depot Inc. as VP and corporate controller, where he directed a team of more than 525 associates and oversaw all aspects of the accounting and reporting functions.
Prior to this, Portwood served as the controller for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., where he led several acquisitions and subsequent integrations. Portwood began his career as a CPA with PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
“I am very impressed with the Whole Earth Brands team and its business strategy and am excited to assume the CFO role to help the company continue executing its plan, drive growth and enhance shareholder value through sound financial leadership,” said Portwood.
Manzone and Portwood participated in a fireside chat webcast at the 2022 ICR Conference on Jan. 10. An archived replay of the webcast also will be available on Whole Earth Brands’ website.
Whole Earth Brands is a global food company enabling healthier lifestyles and providing access to premium plant-based sweeteners, flavor enhancers and other foods through its diverse portfolio of brands and products, including Whole Earth sweetener, Wholesome, Swerve, Pure Via, Equal and Canderel.
For more information, visit WholeEarthBrands.com.
