People on the Move: The Campbell's Co., CDA, Parkland, PepsiCo & The Wills Group

The Campbell's Co. 

The Campbell's Co.'s board of directors elected Mick Beekhuizen to succeed Mark Clouse as president and CEO. Beekhuizen has also been elected a director of the company, both which became effective Feb. 1.

Beekhuizen is the 15th CEO in the company's 155-year history. He joined Campbell's in September 2019 as chief financial officer (CFO) and has served as president of the company's $5.3 billion meals and beverages division since 2022. He played a key role in the $2.7 billion acquisition and integration of Sovos Brands Inc. 

Prior to Campbell, Beekhuizen was executive vice president and CFO at Chobani from 2016 to 2019, where he played a key role in its growth and expansion. Earlier in his career, he was executive vice president and CFO for Education Management Corp., and a managing director at Goldman Sachs in the merchant banking division.

"It is a tremendous honor to have been selected by the board to lead this iconic company," Beekhuizen said. "I am energized by the opportunity to work with the Campbell's team to accelerate the successful strategy that has led to our strong business performance and industry-leading employee engagement."

Clouse, who has served as president and CEO since January 2019, retired from the position on Jan. 31 to become president of the National Football League's Washington Commanders.

Circana

Circana named Stuart Aitken as president and CEO, effective Jan. 1. He succeeds Kirk Perry, who retired from his role at Circana but will continue to serve as a member of the Circana board of directors. Aitken also joins the board as a director.

Aitken comes to Circana from The Kroger Co., where he has served as chief merchant and marketing officer since 2019. Aitken helped to transform Kroger with a strong focus on people and culture, data and insights, and shopper transformation, leading to significant value creation for Kroger and its partners, according to a release. Aitken also developed a more customer-centric approach to merchandising and marketing at Kroger with a focus on driving high margin digital revenue streams including data/analytics and retail media.

Prior to Kroger, he served as CEO of 84.51°, Kroger's data analytics arm, and its predecessor, dunnhumby USA.

"As part of the company's succession planning process, Kirk and the rest of the Circana board have been focused on identifying the ideal candidate to lead Circana well into the future, and we are confident we have found that in Stuart," said Tod Johnson, chair of the Circana board. "His passionate leadership, strategic and innovative mindset, and extensive experience across the retail, technology and data/analytics industries will create value for our company, our people and the clients we serve globally."

Conexxus

Conexxus inducted Patrick Lewis into the Conexxus Technology Hall of Fame during the 2025 Conexxus Annual Conference in Tucson, Ariz., in late January. 

[Read more about the 2025 Conexxus Annual Conference here]

Lewis is partner at Oasis Stop N' Go Convenience Stores and CEO of Ignite Retail Technologies. He has dedicated more than two decades to driving innovation and advancing technological standards in the convenience and retail fuels industry.

His leadership includes spearheading the Loyalty Working Group at Conexxus, leading to the industry's first standard for POS-to-loyalty host communications, and serving two terms as chairman of the Conexxus board of directors. 

"Pat's contributions have been nothing short of extraordinary," said Conexxus Executive Director Gray Taylor. "His dedication to unifying technology across the industry sets a benchmark for excellence."

Convenience Distribution Association 

Rob Sincavich, president of Team Sledd, was inducted into the Convenience Distribution Association (CDA) Hall of Fame at the Convenience Distribution Marketplace Awards Dinner Feb. 18 in The Woodlands, Texas.

CDA Hall of Fame inductees comprise those whose careers are highlighted by exceptional accomplishments on the industry's behalf and who have demonstrated unquestionable dedication to CDA's highest values.

Sincavich's confident leadership at CDA was informed by his career at Team Sledd, a mid-Atlantic regional distributor founded in 1936 and located in Wheeling, W. Va. Fresh out of Allegheny College, Sincavich worked for a year in his father's full-service car washing business before joining Team Sledd as a sales representative.

He steadily advanced into sales and marketing management positions at Team Sledd. In 1996, he took an ownership role and was named president. Today, Team Sledd is a member of the AMCON Family of Brands, represented by AMCON Distributing Co., Team Sledd and Henry’s Foods Inc., collectively providing service and solutions to retail partners coast to coast.

Sincavich has served on numerous CDA committees through the years. As chair in 2015, he set the association on a path that produced greater stability, better member service, new educational offerings, enhanced collaboration and a higher profile in government affairs, according to CDA. His leadership was essential when the then-named American Wholesale Marketers Association was rebranded as the Convenience Distribution Association, which better described the association's membership.

"Rob led CDA through transformative changes that completely modernized the association," said Kimberly Bolin, CDA president and CEO. "His passion for progress and his visionary mindset revolutionized the way we serve our diverse members and advocate for their interests."

Krispy Krunchy Chicken 

Krispy Krunchy Chicken named Matt Testa its chief operations officer. As the newest member of executive leadership, he will focus on strengthening the sales and operations teams for the brand, which licenses more than 3,000 locations.

"Matt brings us a proven track record of success and growth in c-stores. He has a visionary approach for leading teams to maximize impact, efficiency and ease for operators," said Jim Norberg, CEO of Krispy Krunchy Chicken. "Matt's extensive experience will be instrumental as we continue to grow our store count, increase same-store sales, and streamline operations to further build on our momentum and position the brand for even greater success."

Prior to joining the company, Testa spent more than 20 years with the Pilot Flying J network. He joined Pilot in 2000 as a general manager and, throughout his tenure he moved up to various leadership roles, culminating in his service as zone vice president of operations, a position he held for nearly six years.

Mini Melts USA 

Mini Melts USA appointed Jerry Law as chief operating officer (COO). Law, who joined Mini Melts in April 2024, brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the frozen food industry and spearheads the brand's operational and distribution growth across the United States.

In his role as COO, Law oversees Mini Melts' nationwide network of more than 25 distribution centers. Since joining Mini Melts, Law has focused on strengthening operational efficiencies and scaling the company's presence in new markets while maintaining the joy and innovation that have made the brand a leader in the frozen novelty category.

Before joining Mini Melts, Law served as CEO of Real Good Foods, a high-growth emerging frozen food brand, where he oversaw the company's rapid expansion, including building a product portfolio that grew category sales and engaged more than 500,000 followers across social platforms. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at J&J Snack Foods Corp. where he led the $880 million snack food division, overseeing 16 plants and more than 4,200 employees, while driving record-breaking revenue growth. 

Parkland Corp.

Marcel Teunissen, Parkland Corp.'s former CFO, transitioned to the new role of president, North America, responsible for Canadian and U.S. operations. The change, which is part of the company's executive succession plan, was effective Jan. 1. 

"Parkland takes a thoughtful approach to senior executive development and progression," said Bob Espey, president and CEO. "Marcel has been Parkland's [CFO] since 2020. During this time, he has demonstrated tremendous business acumen and proven he is a progressive and exceptional leader. I am delighted he will lead our Canadian and U.S. businesses and have confidence that, under his leadership they will contribute strongly to the company's continued growth."

Also effective Jan. 1., Brad Monaco took title to the interim CFO. He will report to Parkland's Espey and work closely with the company's board of directors. Monaco has held progressively senior finance roles at Parkland including director, capital markets, and vice president finance for the company's Canadian business segment. 

Parkland has retained a leading global executive recruitment firm to conduct a search for a permanent CFO.

Performance Food Group Co.

Performance Food Group Co.'s (PFG) board of directors approved two changes to the company's leadership team. Scott McPherson was promoted to president and COO, while Craig Hoskins transitions into the newly established position of executive vice president and chief development officer.

Both appointments were effective Jan. 1.

In his new role, McPherson will continue overseeing PFG's three business segments: foodservice, convenience and Vistar. He will focus on the company's growth and will be responsible for all aspects of these businesses. McPherson will report to George Holm, PFG's chairman and CEO.

Throughout his 30-year career, McPherson has held numerous leadership positions with Core-Mark including senior vice president roles for the company's U.S. division, corporate development; COO; and president and CEO. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and chief field operations officer at PFG.

Hoskins will now lead the integration efforts of PFG's two recent acquisitions, Cheney Brothers Inc. and Jose Santiago Inc. For the past three years, Hoskins served as president and COO of PFG. He has also held positions as president and CEO, Performance Foodservice, and president and CEO, PFG Customized. His career with PFG began in 1990 with the legacy company that became Vistar, where he successively held roles in marketing, sales, purchasing and operations.

PepsiCo Inc.

PepsiCo, Inc. appointed Christine Tammara senior vice president and controller, effective May 3, succeeding Senior Vice President and Controller Marie Gallagher, who previously announced her intention to retire. Tammara will report to PepsiCo Chief Financial Officer Jamie Caulfield.

Tammara joined PepsiCo in 2007 and has served as senior vice president, controller, PepsiCo Beverages North America since June 2023, where she drove the sector's control agenda, oversaw financial reporting and control execution, and partnered with the business on accounting and transformation solutions.

Prior to that, Tammara served as senior vice president and general auditor from February 2021 to June 2023 and as vice president and assistant controller, technical accounting and policy from June 2016 to February 2021, and held a succession of roles in the company's control function.  

The Wills Group 

The Wills Group, parent company of Dash In convenience stores and Splash In car washes, appointed Thomas Rachubinski to CFO and executive vice president of finance and administration. The personnel move went into effect Dec. 2, 2024. 

Rachubinski brings more than 20 years of financial leadership experience to the role, having worked across the convenience retail industry. Rachubinski joins Wills Group from Wawa Inc., where he played an integral role in driving the company's growth during his 16-year tenure. Most recently, he served as senior director of finance and corporate controller, leading Wawa's Enterprise Productivity Team, focusing on cost optimization. 

Prior to Wawa, Rachubinski was with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he led audit teams for Fortune 500 companies.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tom Rachubinski to the Wills Group team as our CFO and [executive vice president] of finance and administration," said Wills Group President and CEO Julian B. Wills. "Tom's extensive experience in financial management and convenience retail makes him an exceptional addition to our team. His leadership and vision will play a critical role in driving our business strategy as we continue to expand, innovate, and grow our portfolio."

In his role, Rachubinski will oversee the financial health and sustainability of Wills Group and its family of companies, including Dash In, Splash In and SMO Motor Fuels. Additionally, Rachubinski will play an instrumental role in guiding the organization's retail expansion strategy across new and existing markets.

Wills Group also announced recently that Kenneth (Ken) Halperin is retiring after 13 years of distinguished service as CFO of Wills Group. Halperin guided the company through multiple strategic initiatives, driving operational efficiency and long-term financial growth that have contributed to Wills Group's success, according to the company.