US – American food company specializing in strained yogurt, Chobani, has appointed Kenneth Bishop to the new role of senior vice president of international market development, effective immediately.
In picking Bishop to oversee its expansion, as SVP of International Market Development, Chobani said it adds an executive who has extensive consumer goods and private equity experience and will help to develop a strategy for its expansion into international markets.
Currently, Chobani manufactures and distributes products in the U.S. and Australia, and exports products to some countries in Asia and Latin America.
International markets have been responsible for about 10% of the company’s net sales for the last several years, according to a November 2021 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Bishop is said to have been helping other firms, including Facebook and Juul Labs, expand globally for more than 15 years.
Although social media and e-cigarettes are far different products to sell than food, Bishop has likely amassed a deep understanding of shoppers in other parts of the world and knows how to get them interested in an item.
The company also named Tarkan Gürkan as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) after serving in the role on an interim basis. They will report to Kevin Burns, Chobani’s president and chief operating officer, who returned to the company earlier this year.
The New York-based company said Gürkan has deep industry and financial knowledge, joining Chobani with more than 25 years of experience in both the public and private sectors.
Before joining Chobani, Gürkan was Chief Investment Officer at Shepherd Futures, LLC. Before that, he was Senior Vice President, Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions, at PepsiCo responsible for leading, sourcing, and executing of M&As and partnerships.
He has previously served as Vice President, Corporate Development, at Campbell Soup Company. Gürkan also held financial leadership positions at Lehman Brothers Inc. and Nabisco Holdings Corp.
Both Gürkan and Bishop will join the company’s Executive Leadership Team and report directly to Kevin Burns, Chobani President, and Chief Operating Officer.
Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Chobani commented: “I am immensely proud of what we have built at Chobani and am pleased to have Tarkan and Ken as part of the team that will lead us into our next phase of growth.”
These two leaders understand our culture and values of doing well by doing good, and their perspectives will be essential as we continue on our journey to make good quality food for everyone.”
With Tarkan’s excellent financial experience and Ken’s knowledge of international markets, Kevin Burns, Chobani’s President, and COO is confident the company has the right leadership team in place to continue building on the positive momentum as it focuses on strong execution and driving profitable growth.
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