Hain Celestial Names Wendy Davidson As New CEO
Hain Celestial president and CEO, Mark Schiller will hand off both roles to Wendy Davidson at the end of the year and transition to a non-executive director on the company’s Board at the beginning of 2023.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to lead this team,” said Schiller, in a press release yesterday. “Our performance during the transformation has driven significant value creation, benefiting shareholders while also laying the foundation for long-term growth. I look forward to working closely with Wendy as we transition roles and to being a valued and trusted resource as a director.”
Davidson has served as President of the Americas for Glanbia Performance Nutrition for the past two years and brings over two decades of CPG experience to the role, having worked as President of Away from Home at Kellogg’s in addition to various executive-level positions at McCormick & Co. and Tyson Foods.
“[Davidson’s] global CPG experience and successful track record in driving growth, reducing complexity, and developing talent are key to accelerating the transformative work that the leadership team has undertaken to launch our Hain 3.0 strategy,” said Dawn Zier, Chair of the Board, in a press release. “She is the right choice to lead Hain Celestial through its next phase of growth, and under her guidance, we look forward to the company delivering strong operating results and generating long-term shareholder value.”
In her most recent role, she helped Glanbia execute its post-pandemic recovery and integrate several acquired brands into a single operating model, according to the press release.
Under Schiller’s leadership, Hain has begun transitioning from a holding company to an operator, a strategy that the outgoing CEO dubbed Hain 3.0 during a call with investors last year. The new phase of growth will see the global organic and natural products company’s portfolio developing around meat alternatives, dairy alternatives and snacks. The company has divested nearly 23 brands during Schiller’s tenure and announced it will separate its personal care business to support the plan; however, a timeline for that restructuring has not been specified.
Hain also acquired That’s How We Roll, parent company to snack brands Thinsters and Parmcrisps, from private equity firm Clearlake Capital Group in a $259 million deal last fall. The two snack brands join Hain’s 14-brand portfolio which includes Terra, Garden of Eatin’, Sensible Portions, Joya, Earth’s Best and Ella’s Kitchen.
“I am delighted and honored by the opportunity to lead Hain Celestial at this exciting time in the company’s history,” said Davidson, in a press release. “Hain’s global portfolio of organic and natural brands is authentic and beloved by consumers. The leadership team has set a strong foundation for the Company’s 3.0 strategy, and I look forward to working together to execute on the company’s growth agenda and build upon this strategy.”
