GRAPEVINE: News About People
William Wagner was appointed as interim executive director of the Joint Institute for Food Safety Research under the President’s Council on Food Safety. Wagner will have responsibility for establishing the institute as a functional unit and facilitating the selection of the executive director through a national search process. His appointment is expected to be for a period of four to six months.
Canadian Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief named nine members to the Canadian Agri-Food Marketing Council. They are: C. Hock Choong (business development manager, Semex Alliance); Glenn Ells (president, Kings Produce); Bob Friesen (president, Canadian Federation of Agriculture); Jean Gattuso (president and general manager, A. Lassonde, Inc.); Anne Chong Hill (president, Global Gourmet Foods, Inc.); Angelo Locilento (president, Vin-Bon Juice Co. Ltd. and Cilento Wines Ltd.); Kazuko Komatsu (president and CEO, Pacific Western Brewing Company); John Omstead (president, Family Tradition Foods, Inc.); and Ken Porteous (president, Lingwood Farms Ltd.).
Formed in 1997 by the federal government, the council advises Canada’s agriculture and trade ministers on market development and trade-related issues. Its primary objective is to set and support domestic and international market-expansion goals.
UK drinks group Diageo Plc is set to appoint Paul Walsh, the head of its Pillsbury food arm, as its next chief executive. The job becomes vacant at Diageo next year when John McGrath retires.
Donatos Pizza, Columbus, Ohio, named Bill Rose as president and chief executive officer. Rose comes to Donatos from McDonald’s Corp. where he most recently served as senior vice president and international relationship partner for Southeast/Central Asia. Donatos currently operates restaurants in 147 locations in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.
Kevin McBride is named marketing vice president by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Waterbury, Vt. McBride has held various positions with Procter & Gamble, Marketing Corporation of America, The Cambridge Group, and Circle K Stores.
Country Pure Foods, Akron, Ohio, announced a series of personnel changes. Promoted are: Bob Gats, vice president of sales and marketing; Jon Hanely, vice president of retail sales; and Liz Wilson, corporate controller. Named are: Andy Major, corporate director of logistics; Dale Gharky, corporate human resource manager; Noel Rutherford, plant manger; Jann Pew, corporate customer service manager; and Chris McIntyre, plant controller. Country Pure Foods, one of the nation’s largest independent juice manufactures, processes and sells a variety of fruit juices and fruit drinks.
James Watkins is named executive vice president, chief operating officer for Beringer Wine Estates, St. Helena, Calif. Previously, Watkins held similar positions with Burger King Corp., Procter & Gamble and Dr Pepper/Seven-Up.
The Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Co. changed the structure of its U.S. sales organization to take advantage of the strength of its sales team. Included in the changes are: John Laird, senior executive vice president, European state wines. And, as part of the announced changes, the company is streamlining the number of its sales divisions from five to four. The four new sales divisions and their leaders are: Northeastern, Dean Peskoff; Southeastern, Dan Grunbeck; Central, Tad Holtsinger; and Western, Bill Boykin.
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