Pinnacle Foods Inc. announced on March 23 that Robert J. Gamgort, its chief executive officer since July of 2009, will be leaving the company at the end of April to assume the role of ceo at Keurig Green Mountain, a leader in single-serve coffee and beverage technologies recently acquired by a JAB Holding Company-led consortium. Gamgort will continue to lead Pinnacle and serve on its board of directors until the time of his departure.
Robert J. GamgortA search process is under way to identify and hire a new boss for the Parsippany, New Jersey, USA-headquartered company, which produces and markets a myriad of well known retail food products in North America. Among its frozen food brands are Birds Eye vegetables, Mrs. Paul’s and Van de Kamp’s prepared seafood, Hungry-Man dinners, Lenders bagels, Aunt Jemima’s breakfasts and Celeste pizza.
Commenting on the announcement, Pinnacle Chairman Roger K. Deromedi stated: “Bob has been an outstanding ceo, having led the organization from private to public ownership. The clarity of Pinnacle’s strategy, combined with the strength of both its leadership team and board of directors, gives me confidence in our ability to deliver attractive shareholder returns, including our expectation for another strong year in 2016.”
Gamgort commented: “The decision to leave Pinnacle is a difficult one, as I am very proud of the unique business model that we have developed and the significant value that we have created for all stakeholders. I am most proud, however, of the strong management team and board of directors that we have built, as they will continue to drive Pinnacle’s future success.”
