Impossible Foods makes executive changes for a ‘decisive year,’ CEO says

Dive Brief:

• Impossible Foods on Tuesday announced two new changes to its C-suite, with Elaine Paik taking over the financial helm and Emma Hutchens appointed as chief people officer. Alexis Regan will take over as senior vice president of sales.
• The appointments are a bid to “help the company expand and evolve in a pivotal year for the plant-based industry,” Impossible Foods said in a statement. 2023 was a year of several strategic hires for the company, including a new chief science and chief supply chain officer.
• “This will be a decisive year for the plant-based category and welcoming them to the team makes us even more confident in our plans,” said CEO Peter McGuinness about the appointments.

Dive Insight:

Coming off the heels of 2023, Impossible Foods is focused on “building momentum” and getting its “messaging right” in the new year, according to chief marketing officer Leslie Sims. 

Fresh faces will be pivotal in helping them achieve those goals, the company said. 

Prior to Impossible, Paik spent 25 years at the Colgate-Palmolive Company where she served as global treasurer, and most recently was CFO at Juul where she played a big role in providing financial stability to the company. 

A big part of her role at Juul was to “open up strategic pathways for the company in its endeavor to disrupt an established industry,” similar to what Impossible Foods is setting out to do. 

Hutchens has a decade of leadership experience in the beverage industry, most recently as the chief human resources officer at Heaven Hill Brands and previously as chief people officer at Stoli Group International. 

Around this time last year, Impossible Foods laid off about 20% of its staff in a bid to fuel business amid slipping demand. 

The company has bolstered its leadership team in recent months, appointing Sunil Chandran as chief science officer and naming Rob Haas to serve as chief supply chain officer.