USA – Siggi’s, the Lactalis-owned maker of Icelandic-style yogurt, has appointed Carlos Altschul as its new CEO, replacing Bart Adlam who has left the company to pursue a new business opportunity.

According to the company, with the rise in consumer demand for cleaner, higher-quality foods with lower sugar, it views this as the optimal time to catapult the business forward.

Altschul will oversee all aspects of the business, including bringing forth new go-to-market strategies and innovations, expanding distribution, and accelerating awareness and penetration growth.

Prior to joining Siggi’s, Altschul was vice president of sales at Stonyfield, where he led field sales and shopper marketing across the company’s portfolio.

He also previously held senior positions at Danone, where he oversaw sales strategy and category management under the master brand portfolio.

“I’ve admired how Siggi’s has not only pioneered a new product segment in the category, but is also creating the next chapter for the entire yogurt category,” said Altschul.

“I look forward to working closely with the team to establish a clear vision for what is next, and I am thrilled to be part of a company with such a tremendous growth trajectory.”

Siggi Hilmarsson, founder of Siggi’s, said: “I’m very excited to have Carlos join the team. I’ve known him for quite some time and know he will be great for Siggi’s as we continue to grow.

“Coming from Stonyfield, Carlos knows first-hand the importance of upholding our brand values of clean ingredient labels and lower sugar, the values which have made our brand so highly relevant today.

His strong expertise in the yogurt category, both in natural and more traditional classes of trade, is also a great boon to the Siggi’s team.”

Hilmarsson founded the brand after he moved to New York from Iceland and found American yogurt too sweet and full of extra ingredients.

French dairy company Lactalis also bought the firm for an undisclosed sum earlier this year after Emmi sold its 22% stake, which saw its revenue double last year.