Pinnacle Foods Group has appointed Jeffrey P. Ansell as chief executive officer, effective 5 July, replacing C. Dean Metropoulos, who had previously announced that he would be stepping down as CEO in the near future but who will remain with the company as chairman.

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Metropoulos, who led the search for a new CEO said: “We have been fortunate during this CEO search to meet with a number of outstanding candidates. At the conclusion of the search it was clear that Mr Ansell was the right candidate for Pinnacle based on the accomplishments in his career and his personal leadership skills.”


Ansell, 47, brings with him 25 years of experience in consumer products management. As a Procter & Gamble corporate officer, he was most recently president of The Iams Company, where he had been chosen to lead P&G’s entry into the pet nutrition business, following P&G’s acquisition of The Iams Company in 1999.


“I’m very excited to join Pinnacle, and the collection of fine brands it has assembled the past few years,” said Ansell. “Dean Metropoulos, along with JP Morgan Partners and JW Childs have an enviable track record of success. I look forward to building on my experiences at a world-class institution like P&G, and to working closely with the strong team at Pinnacle to take the business to the next level.”

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