Ferrero North America appoints Alanna Cotton President

USA — Alanna Cotton has been named president and chief business officer of Ferrero North America, effective September 1, succeeding Todd Siwak, who is stepping down to return to private equity.

As President and Chief Business Officer of Ferrero North America, Ms.Cotton will be responsible for Ferrero’s business in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean, building upon its growing footprint and capabilities for iconic brands like Kinder, Butterfinger, Nutella and Tic Tac, and cookie favorites such as Keebler, Famous Amos, and Mother’s.

ADVERT

“I’m excited to join Ferrero North America and lead this incredible team and portfolio of beloved brands on its continued growth trajectory,” Cotton said. “The company’s global presence and rapid expansion on the continent is impressive and I’m thrilled to help move the business forward in this new chapter.”

Ms. Cotton most recently was president of operations for Central and Eastern Europe at Coca-Cola Co. Earlier she was global chief marketing officer, president and head of global stills beverages. Prior to that she was senior vice president, general manager and divisional leader at Samsung Electronics America. She also has held executive positions at PepsiCo, Inc. and Procter & Gamble.

She received a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering at Northwestern University and a master’s degree in business administration at Stanford University.

Ms. Cotton, who will report directly to Lapo Civiletti, CEO of Ferrero Group, joins the company to support Ferrero’s global business strategy of strengthening its position in the sweet packaged food category.

ADVERT

Ferrero North America, an important growth driver for the company, is the fastest growing confectionery company in the market, experiencing double digit growth and guiding multiple brand turnarounds over the years.

In the US, Ferrero has unveiled a number of expansion projects in recent months, including plans to open an innovation center featuring a strategic R&D laboratory in Chicago’s Marshall Field and Co. building and a chocolate processing plant and Kinder Bueno line in Bloomington, Illinois.

Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro-industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE.