US dried meat snacks manufacturer Stryve Foods has appointed former PepsiCo senior official, Kevin Vivian as the new chairman of the company’s board.
He enters the position with immediate effect.
Vivian’s 32-year career at PepsiCo included six years as senior vice president of national account sales and division vice president for Frito-Lay crisps.
He has been a director on the board since his retirement from the Doritos brand owner in 2018.
Vivian replaces Stryve Foods’ co-founder Ted Casey, who has acted as chairman since the business was founded in 2017.
Just Food has asked Stryve Foods to confirm the reason behind Casey’s exit from the role.
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By GlobalDataSpeaking on his appointment, Vivian said he was entering the role at “a dynamic time for Stryve Foods”.
“As we continue to take steps towards delivering profitability, I look forward to working with the board and management team to continue building on our momentum, achieving our strategic goals, and ultimately creating value for our shareholders.”
In a statement, the company said Vivian was chosen due to his experience in working with “top retail executive teams in developing partnerships, strategies, and innovation to enhance sales and market share growth”.
Stryve Foods CEO Chris Boever said Vivian was “the ideal choice” as the group enters the third phase of its transformation strategy in a bid to attain “profitability through quality growth”.
Earlier in April, the Nasdaq-listed company said it was looking to reduce EBITDA losses to balance the books in fiscal 2025 as part of a new transformation plan brought in by Boever when he became CEO in 2022.
At the time, Stryve Foods said it looked to book sales in the range of $24-30m in 2024. The dried beef snacks producer recorded $17.7m in 2023.
Based in Planos, Texas, Stryve Foods manufactures a range of dried, high-protein beef snacks under its namesake label, as well as the Kalahari, Braaitime and Vacadillos brands. It also markets and distributes the pet treat brands Two Tails.
The company sells to major grocery and convenience stores and e-commerce channels across North America, including Amazon and Walmart.
