Ajinomoto Foods North America Inc. (AFNA), a specialty frozen food manufacturer, has appointed Dave Gardner as president and CEO.
Gardner, who joined AFNA in 2022 as chief supply chain officer, succeeds Hiroshi Kaho. Kaho has been promoted to executive officer and EVP, chief human resources officer for Tokyo-based parent company Ajinomoto Co. Inc. after leading AFNA through a multi-year period of investment, capability building, and cultural transformation.
Industry experience
Gardner brings more than 35 years of food industry experience to the role. As chief supply chain officer, he led manufacturing and end-to-end supply chain operations across the company’s eight U.S. production facilities. He partnered closely with the CEO to translate long-term strategy into operational reality, focusing on establishing a people-first culture and building fundamentals.
During his tenure, Gardner led a cross-functional cost transformation initiative delivering $35 million in first-year savings while improving customer service. He also oversaw capacity expansions and asset optimization across the company’s manufacturing network.
Prior to joining AFNA, Gardner served as chief operating officer at Amy’s Kitchen, the Petaluma, California-based natural and organic frozen foods company. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at Ingredion Inc., including VP of North America Supply Chain and VP of North America Manufacturing.
Positioned for growth
Gardner inherits a portfolio within strong categories across both retail and foodservice. According to Circana, U.S. frozen food retail sales exceed $90 billion annually, with frozen snacks and ethnic foods among the highest-growth subcategories – running at 7 percent to 10 percent compound annual growth depending on segment, per Grand View Research.
Asian and multicultural frozen foods – a core strength of AFNA’s portfolio, which includes the Ajinomoto, Ling Ling, Tai Pei and José Olé brands – are consistently ranked among the top innovation drivers in both retail and foodservice, supported by expanding consumer demand for authentic global flavors, according to Euromonitor International and Innova Market Insights.
Gardner helped shape and embed the company’s Purpose and Values framework, which earned AFNA recognition in 2025 as both a Great Place to Work and winning an Inspiring Workplace award with “Best in Class” honors in the culture and purpose category. He plans to build on that foundation to accelerate growth, deepen innovation and develop the next generation of cross-functional leaders.
Gardner has identified three priorities for his early tenure as CEO:
- Elevating operational excellence as a company-wide discipline;
- Accelerating innovation and brand-building to expand AFNA’s presence on retail shelves and in foodservice; and
- Continuing to develop a deep bench of leaders aligned to AFNA’s purpose: To Make Everyday Eating a Happy Experience.
“AFNA is positioned for growth. We have a unique culture that has allowed us to attract and retain the best talent. We have deep-rooted R&D and culinary expertise that extends through our global network. And we participate in categories that are on-trend and can be uniquely served by our diverse products and strong manufacturing platform,” said Gardner.
“My focus is on taking our company to the next level, establishing Ajinomoto as a recognized well-being brand feeding an appetite for authentic, globally inspired food.”
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