The Kraft Heinz Co. has added new members to its executive leadership team that will partner with Carlos Abrams-Rivera when he assumes the CEO role beginning in the 2024 fiscal year.
Abrams-Rivera will take over from Miguel Patricio, who has served as CEO since 2019 and chair of the board since 2022. Patricio will transition to the role of non-executive chair of the board.
“Over the past four years under Miguel’s leadership, we’ve made great progress and now have a solid foundation to build our future,” Abrams-Rivera said.
“Our strategic plan maps our ‘jobs to be done’ in each of our ‘must-win’ markets and defines the areas where we believe we need to focus to accelerate our growth. Our updated structure is designed to help us activate that strategy – with a focus on profitable growth and a dynamic omnichannel plan.”
Pedro Navio
Pedro Navio will be elevated to president, North America. Navio has been with Kraft Heinz since 2017, most recently in the role of president of taste, meals and away from home in North America.
In his current role, he reframed the taste elevation platform by repositioning Heinz and delivering a new product pipeline beyond ketchup. He also supported the transformation of the “Away from Home” business by reconnecting the company’s brands with customers, moving from a sales channel only into a marketing powerhouse. Prior to Kraft Heinz, he spent more than 15 years at Red Bull.
Willem Brandt
Willem Brandt will be elevated to the role of president, Europe and Pacific developed markets. Brandt has been at Kraft Heinz since 2021 in the role of continental Europe president. During that time, he has improved the company’s top-line business in the region and reinvested in marketing and sales, helping it win in taste elevation, Germany, and high-growth channels. Brandt spent more than 20 years at Unilever before joining Kraft Heinz.
Bruno Keller
Bruno Keller will be elevated to the role of president, West and East Emerging Markets. Keller has been with Kraft Heinz since 2014 and has held several roles, including managing director for South Europe; president, Canada; and most recently, president, Latin America, where he has driven significant top-line growth, accelerated profitability and sales and increased market share across all Latin America countries.
Cory Onell
Cory Onell will be elevated to chief omnichannel sales and Asia emerging markets officer. Onell will lead global omnichannel sales and go-to-market capabilities and tools to unlock growth across developed and emerging markets.
Onell has been with Kraft Heinz since 2020 in the role of president of U.S. sales. In that role, he has embedded an omnichannel mindset and structure and strengthened sales capabilities in the North America Zone. Prior to Kraft Heinz, he held various sales leadership roles at other consumer packaged goods companies, including Campbell’s and Mondelēz.
Diana Frost
Diana Frost will be elevated to chief growth officer. Frost will be responsible for accelerating growth globally through the company’s long-term plan, building brands through marketing excellence and transforming the product portfolio through disruptive innovation.
Frost has been with Kraft Heinz since 2020, most recently as chief growth officer for North America, where she established cross-functional marketing capabilities and measurement and built an accelerated agile pipeline of brand innovation. Frost also drove a global culture of collaboration and creativity, resulting in 21 Cannes Lions Awards in 2023. Prior to Kraft Heinz, Frost spent nearly 13 years at Mars.
“I am incredibly proud these are internal elevations as it reflects the quality of the talent and focus on people development at Kraft Heinz,” Abrams-Rivera said.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Pedro, Willem, Bruno, Cory and Diana in their new roles, and I am confident these are the leaders to help take Kraft Heinz to the next level and power our growth as we set our course to lead the future of food.”
Each of the new members of the executive leadership team will assume their roles at the beginning of fiscal year 2024.
Read more executive news from The Shelby Report.
