Utz replaces CFO with ex-Tropicana exec

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Dive Brief:

• Utz Brands is tapping former Tropicana executive William J. Kelley Jr. to replace its chief financial officer, who is set to step down May 1.
• Kelley worked at Tropicana as CFO for three years and assisted in the separation of the orange juice maker from previous owner PepsiCo, which was part of the soda giant’s $3.3 billion juice brand offloading in 2021.
• The incoming Utz CFO replaces Ajay Kataria, who has worked at Utz for eight years, served in the chief financial role since 2021 and helped oversee the chips and pretzel maker go public in 2020.

Dive Insight:

The Pennsylvania-based snacks company, a staple of the Northeast market, is naming an established industry veteran to steer its financial decision-making as it grows nationwide.

“Bill brings deep financial expertise and operational experience across some of the most respected names in food and beverage,” Howard Frieman, CEO of Utz, said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome him to Utz as we continue executing on our long-term growth strategy.”

In a statement, Kelley said he admires the “tremendous momentum”  behind Utz’s geographic expansion. The company did not specify why Kataria is stepping down.

Utz also announced an internal appointment of Jeremy Stuart, a sales executive, as the company’s chief customer officer and executive vice president of sales. Stuart previously worked at Coca-Cola for five years before joining Utz in 2023. He replaces Mark Schreiber, who will retire after eight years at the company.

The C-suite refresh comes as the potato chips and pretzels maker anticipates a boost in its financial performance with salty snacks becoming even more popular. Utz projects its earnings, which it will report on May 1, to reflect annual growth between 1.5% and 1.7% in the first three months of 2025.

Over the past two years, Utz has made strategic operational decisions with the goal of growing its main chip and pretzel brands. In early 2024, it sold its Good Health and R.W. Garcia brands to Popchips owner Our Home for $182.5 million. The company also opened a 650,000-square-foot logistics center in Hanover, Pennsylvania, last December, which handles 2.3 million pallets of its snacks annually.