Utz Brands Inc. has named William (Bill) J. Kelley Jr. and Jeremy Stuart to EVP roles within its snacks company.
William J. Kelley Jr.
Utz has appointed Kelley as EVP, CFO and principal accounting officer, succeeding Ajay Kataria on May 1.
He most recently served as global CFO at Tropicana Brands Group Inc. Prior to that role, Kelley held several senior leadership positions at TreeHouse Foods Inc., including EVP and CFO, and earlier in his career he held finance leadership roles at The Kraft Heinz Co., The Hillshire Brands Co., USG Corporation and PepsiAmericas. He serves on the board of THOR Industries Inc. and chairs its audit committee.
Upon joining Utz on May 1, he will work with Kataria to help ensure a seamless transition through May 31. Kelley will report to Utz CEO Howard Friedman.
“Bill brings deep financial expertise and operational experience across some of the most respected names in food and beverage. We are excited to welcome him to Utz as we continue executing on our long-term growth strategy,” Friedman said.
“I want to extend our gratitude to Ajay for his leadership and impact over the past eight years, the last four as CFO. His contributions were many, including as part of our public listing in 2020, multiple acquisitions and integrations, as well as a major ERP installation; all were instrumental in building our financial foundation. We wish Ajay all the best.”
Commenting on his appointment, Kelley said, “I have long admired the Utz brand and the tremendous momentum it has captured behind its geographic expansion. I’m thrilled to be joining the team at such an exciting time and look forward to partnering with Howard and the broader leadership team to drive continued growth and value for shareholders.”
Jeremy Stuart
Utz also announced that Jeremy Stuart, currently SVP of large format, will succed Mark Schreiber, EVP of sales and chief customer officer, who is retiring effective May 31. Schreiber will remain in a transition role through the end of June.
Schreiber joined Utz in 2017 and held multiple leadership roles across sales and marketing. During his tenure, Utz’s annual sales grew significantly, supported by successful acquisitions, distribution expansions and brand integrations.
Stuart joined Utz in September 2023, adding digital commerce and value, food service and vending to his large format responsibilities over the past year. Prior to joining Utz, he held senior sales roles at The Coca-Cola Company, including franchise leadership general manager leading strategic planning and commercial advice with two of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in North America. Previously while at The Coca-Cola Company, he served as a global VP for Costco and VP for Publix.
“Mark has been a true champion of the Utz brand and a driving force behind our commercial success. We are incredibly grateful for his leadership and wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement,” Friedman said.
“Jeremy’s deep understanding of the customer landscape and operational focus make him the ideal leader to build on Mark’s legacy and take our customer partnerships to the next level.”
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