Kodiak poaches another Campbell Soup veteran for chief operating officer
High-protein, whole-grain food company Kodiak named Steve Katzenberger as its chief operating officer.
Katzenberger joins Kodiak after working for two years at Campbell Soup where he served as senior vice president of supply chain. Before his time at the soup and snacks giant, he held top positions at Hearthside Food Solutions and Kraft Foods.
In a statement, Kodiak said Katzenberger’s “wealth of experience and proven track record of success will be invaluable as the brand continues its growth trajectory.”
“Kodiak has already made such remarkable progress and has become one of the biggest players in its industry,” Katzenberger said. “By joining this team, I look forward to combining my expertise with the unique position the brand has to continue to propel it forward.”
Kodiak also announced that it hired Sonali Dalvi as vice president of product development, a newly created role at the Utah-based company. Both Katzenberger and Sonali will report Val Oswalt, Kodiak’s CEO. Oswalt was hired in 2022 from Campbell Soup to replace co-founder and CEO Joel Clark.
Dalvi has previous experience leading research and development for companies including Olam Food Ingredients, PureCircle, PepsiCo and Quaker Foods. Kodiak said she “will be the driving force behind new innovations” that will open “a wealth of opportunities” for the brand.
Kodiak traces its roots to the early 1980s when a family pancake recipe was packaged in brown paper lunch sacks and sold to people in Salt Lake City from the back of a red wagon. It has since expanded its product offerings by moving into frozen waffles, oatmeal, baking mixes and a variety of snack products. L Catterton purchased a majority stake in the fast-growing Kodiak for an undisclosed amount in 2021.
Source: fooddive.com