Who’s Hired and Who’s Fired: Recent Supply Chain Leadership Moves
Recent weeks produced a concentrated set of confirmed leadership transitions across branded food and beverage manufacturers, integrated logistics, and trade facilitation. Rather than broad resets at major 3PLs, the activity centered on installing experienced operators into end-to-end supply roles where manufacturing continuity, inventory control, and service reliability remain under pressure.
pladis named Frankgerald Stepp chief supply chain officer, effective January 2027. He will oversee the company’s global end-to-end supply chain across more than 110 markets, succeeding Mario Reis, who retires at the end of 2026 after eight years. Stepp joins from Kerry Group, where he most recently served as chief operations officer of its biotechnology business and global vice president of manufacturing. He previously held senior roles at ARYZTA, Kraft Foods, and Mondelez International. The appointment follows multi-year capital investment in the manufacturing network, including £68 million across UK bakeries, expanded capacity in Cairo and France, and more than £100 million in capital expenditure in 2025. pladis owns brands including McVitie’s, Ülker, and GODIVA.
Molson Coors appointed Matthew Hook chief supply chain officer for the Americas, effective October 12. Hook, a 27-year company veteran, most recently served as vice president of manufacturing operations for North America. He previously held roles spanning manufacturing, engineering, logistics, customer supply, procurement, and demand planning, including chief supply chain officer for Canada. He succeeds Brian Erhardt, who is retiring and moving into a senior advisory position. CEO Rahul Goyal has asked Hook to build on ongoing modernization work and prioritize service levels across the Americas network.
LJM Group appointed Rob Gelb chief executive officer to lead the next phase of its tech-enabled small parcel shipping cost optimization business. Gelb brings three decades of experience scaling technology-enabled services businesses, much of it on the buyer’s side of complex, opaque pricing structures - first in workers’ compensation, then in group health, and now in parcel shipping. He most recently spent more than seven years as CEO of Valenz Health, where the company completed eight acquisitions, grew from 62 to 520 employees, and achieved approximately 30 percent compound annual growth. President and Founder Ken Wood will remain involved in key client relationships and strategy. LJM provides carrier contract negotiation support, parcel analytics, rate optimization, and invoice audit and recovery services through its Parcel Intelligence Platform.
Kraft Heinz named Alvaro Cantillo to lead supply chain and procurement for North America as part of its 2026 operating-model restructure. The role consolidates functions to improve efficiency under a simplified North America structure. Cantillo brings more than 25 years of end-to-end supply chain experience across CPG and consumer health, including prior roles at Kraft Heinz, Haleon, Reckitt, Colgate-Palmolive, and Henkel. He joins from Haleon, where he served as senior vice president and head of North America supply chain.
Earlier in the year the company appointed Janelle Aydin as global leader of the combined procurement and supply chain function.
Ocean Spray named Brad Hartzell chief supply chain officer, succeeding retiring 22-year veteran Earl Larson. Hartzell brings more than 25 years of global supply chain experience from KDC/ONE, NovaTaste, and International Flavors & Fragrances. He will manage logistics across roughly 700 family farms and distribution to more than 100 countries. The appointment is among the first major executive moves under president and CEO Abigail Buckwalter, who took the role in June 2026.
STG Logistics named Jack Holmes chief executive officer, effective immediately, succeeding Geoff Anderman. Holmes spent 37 years at UPS, rising from package handler to president and CEO of UPS Freight, where he led the integration of Overnite Transportation. He has since held board and executive roles at ACERTUS, Emerge, and Werner Enterprises.
The appointment follows STG’s financial restructuring, which reduced funded debt by nearly $1 billion. Clinton Smith was named interim chief financial officer and Cherie Schaible interim general counsel. Anderman remains as advisor through the transition. Holmes said immediate priorities include network investment, disciplined growth, and continued delivery of integrated containerized freight services.
The World Trade Centers Association appointed Annette Gregg as chief executive officer, effective October 5, the first woman in the role in the association’s 57-year history. Gregg previously led the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, where membership grew more than 70 percent and revenue rose 160 percent over three years. She earlier served as chief revenue officer at Meeting Professionals International.
WTCA recently relocated its global headquarters to One World Trade Center. Gregg will work with the board and the network of more than 300 locations across nearly 100 countries.
YMX Logistics was named a 2026 Top Company for Women to Work in Trucking by Redefining the Road, the magazine of the Women in Trucking Association, for the second consecutive year. Women hold roles across operations, customer success, safety, technology, finance, marketing, and human resources. CEO Matt Yearling said the recognition reflects efforts to create growth opportunities inside transportation and logistics. The company operates an Autonomous Yard Operating System for enterprise shippers.
The Signals
The moves show targeted reinforcement of end-to-end authority at manufacturers and beverage operators rather than wholesale change. Companies are placing proven operators - both internal and external - into consolidated supply seats after capital investment, restructuring, or multi-year network work. Logistics providers continue orderly CEO succession after balance-sheet repair. Recognition for gender inclusion at the yard level continues alongside broader efforts to stabilize labor in execution-heavy segments. The current phase centers on continuity of service, inventory discipline, and deeper operational ownership inside existing networks.
