People news - July/August 2010

Marketer for ingredients company

SK Food International has hired Tawny Ohnstad to provide marketing and logistical support for the company's ingredients line, including its certified-organic and conventional non-GMO products. Ohnstad graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a degree in mass communications/advertising, with an emphasis in public relations. Founded in 1990, SK Food International is a bulk ingredientsd supplier carrying a line of premium ingredients, such as organic and conventional non-GMO dry edible beans, grains, seeds and soybeans.

 

New COO of Lonza Bioscience
Lukas Utiger, COO of Lonza Life Science Ingredients, has become the COO of Lonza Bioscience, located in Walkersville, Maryland. He replaced Anja Fiedler, who resigned due to health reasons. Stefan Borgas, CEO, has taken over the leadership of the Life Science Ingredients business until a successor is named later in the summer.

VP for category development
New Zealand-based Fonterra Co-operative Group has appointed Troy Hudgson as vice president, category development, for Fonterra Ingredients North America. He oversees the regional growth strategies for categories, including bars and snack foods, ingredients for cheese, cheese for meals, cultured foods, paediatric nutrition, organics ,and functional beverages. In addition, he will create annual marketing and innovation plans to support consumer and customer insights in the United States. Prior to his foodservice role at Fonterra, Hudgson worked in business development at Genesis Research and Development, and CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition in Australia.

Midwest sales manager
Multivac, a global supplier of packaging solutions for perishable food products, has appointed Jay Brewer as regional sales manager for its food division. He serves customers in the newly created Midwestern sales territory that includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.

Associate VP of operations
True Botanica, a nutritional supplements company located in Delafield, Wisconsin, has hired Philia Rentea, MHA, as associate vice president of operations. In this position, she will be responsible for day-to-day operations, staff management, and marketing for the company. A native of Chicago, Rentea earned her bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University, and a master's of health administration from Cornell University.

 

VP of sales, marketing
Penford Food Ingredients Co has appointed industry veteran Michael Buttshaw as vice president, sales and marketing, a new position. Buttshaw reports to Penford President John Randall. Buttshaw previously worked at DSM Food Specialties, where he was vice president of sales. Prior to DSM, he spent 20 years at Hormel Foods, where he progressed through regional sales positions to national sales and marketing manager for the Specialty Products Division.