Appointments span clinical affairs, product innovation, regulatory leadership, technical communication and medical and scientific affairs. Many of these roles also include responsibilities in product marketing or business development, suggesting a growing search for executives who can translate research, formulation expertise and scientific evidence into clear market positioning, compelling value propositions and stronger customer support.
This season’s hires also reflect sustained investment in geographic reach and specialized market development. New roles focused on EMEA, Brazil, Canada and broader international divisions signal expansion beyond core domestic markets. Meanwhile, additions in wholesale, practitioner-facing marketing, regional sales and advisory or board positions suggest a more targeted and segmented approach to driving growth.
Below a look at some of the recent comings and goings impacting the dietary supplement industry.
Iovate appointed Raza Bashir as CEO. With close to two decades at Iovate, Bashir most recently served as the company’s chief innovation officer.
“Iovate was built on the freedom to experiment, a passion for maximizing consumer benefit, and a commitment to science, quality and innovation,” he shared in an announcement. “As we look ahead, my focus is on bringing that entrepreneurial spirit back to the center of how we operate; staying closer to consumers, building modern and culturally relevant brands and delivering trusted products backed by real science and uncompromising quality.”
Under Bashir’s leadership, Iovate accelerate focus on strengthening its core brands and advancing breakthrough innovation platforms across peptides, creatine, muscle health, performance and weight loss transformation, while continuing to build a more agile, consumer-driven organization grounded in trusted science, uncompromising quality and stronger supply chain resilience.
Bayer announced a series of leadership changes within its consumer health division across commercial operations and marketing, insights & analytics as part of its Road to Billions strategy—to help billions of people live healthier lives. These appointments include: Samantha Avivi as global chief marketing officer, Analia de la Fuente as global chief data officer, David Tomasi as chief commercial officer and Trevor Thrun as president of U.S. consumer health, the company’s largest consumer health market.
“I am convinced these leaders will help accelerate growth, strengthen customer and consumer focus, and unlock the full potential of data and Artificial Intelligence to build trusted brands—ultimately advancing our Road to Billions strategy."
Julio Triana, president of consumer health at Bayer
Anisha Raghavan joined Seed Health as its first-ever chief marketing officer to head up the company’s global marketing, creative and commercial teams. Raghavan’s previous roles include leading marketing at Heyday, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Rodan + Fields, PepsiCo. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSBA from Washington University in St. Louis.
David Oosterveld joined Mara as director of global regulatory affairs. He holds a masters of science in nutritional and nutraceutical sciences from the University of Guelph and has held previous manager of regulatory affairs roles at Haleon and Nestlé.
Designs for Health appointed Chris Tedesco as CEO, who brings 25 years of global leadership experience at Reckitt, where he held senior roles in general management and marketing across both developed and emerging markets. He holds a BA from the College of the Holy Cross and an MBA from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester.
“From the beginning, we had a clear vision for what Designs for Health could become and the impact it could make on practitioners and their patients and realizing that vision at scale requires a specific kind of leadership. Chris has spent his career earning trust for health brands in complex, highly regulated markets, and I have full confidence he is the right person to lead Designs for Health into its next chapter.”
Jonathan Lizotte, founder and executive chairman of Designs for Health
Karen Dana is now B2B marketing lead at Tiny Health, joining the company from Quicksilver Scientific where she served as market director since 2022, executing multi-channel and partner marketing strategies for over 45,000 healthcare practitioners across the globe.
Resbiotic welcomed Craig Hannenberg as senior director of sales during an important stage of growth as the company grows retail and other consumer channels. Hannenberg joins Resbiotic from Merical, where he served as director of retail sales.
Nutrabolt appointed Andrew Archambault as president and COO to oversee Nutrabolt’s commercial and operational functions, including sales, supply chain and international operations, as the company continues to scale across energy beverages and active nutrition. Most recently, Archambault has held executive roles at The Hershey Company and Keurig Dr Pepper.
NOW Health Group promoted Andrea Benson to president of Puresource Corp, a leading distributor of natural wellness products across Canada. Benson joined the company as country leader in December 2024, bringing nearly 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, commercialization and business transformation across industries.
“Since stepping into the country leader role, Andrea has earned the respect of our employees, customers and stakeholders through her collaborative leadership style, decisive action and commitment to delivering results. The Board’s decision to appoint Andrea as president reflects the confidence we have in her leadership capabilities, her track record of success and her vision for the future of Puresource Corp.”
Jim Emme, CEO of NOW Health Group, Puresource’s parent company
Plexus Worldwide named Ren-Hau Lai, PhD, as vice president of product innovation. Lai brings more than 15 years of experience across functional foods, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements, having previously held leadership roles at AG1, Supergut, RYZE, General Mills and Mead Johnson Nutrition.
In the newly created role, Lai will oversee product innovation, R&D and product marketing for the company’s gut health and wellness portfolio as Plexus continues expanding its investment in clinically studied, science-backed products.
Mark Wagner joined CPG Radar as vice president of business development. Wagner worked at Herbalife for over 15 years, leading enterprise strategic planning initiatives, supporting international expansion across global markets, working on M&A and strategic partnerships and helping to drive the company’s expansion into sports nutrition and broader wellness categories. He holds a Masters of Laws from Loyola Law School and a BA in spanish language and literature from Colgate University.
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) promoted Jane Wilson to vice president of association programs. In this elevated role, Wilson leads the strategic development, implementation and management of AHPA’s diverse initiatives and services, while continuing to cultivate collaborative relationships across industry, trade associations, regulatory bodies and public health organizations.
Wilson joined AHPA in 2013, bringing over two decades of public health and environmental protection expertise to the association. She previously served as the Director of Standards for NSF International, where she oversaw the development and maintenance of foundational industry standards, including NSF/ANSI 173 (dietary supplements) and NSF/ANSI 305 (personal care products containing organic ingredients). Her extensive background also includes establishing the NSF National Center for Sustainability Standards and administering the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO Technical Committee 249 (Traditional Chinese Medicine).
“Jane’s extensive expertise in standards development and public health, combined with her deep understanding of our members’ needs, has made her an invaluable asset to the association. As AHPA continues to expand its programming offerings to meet the demands of a growing industry, we are confident that Jane’s leadership will further strengthen the high-quality services and support we provide to our community.”
Graham Rigby, president and CEO at AHPA
Thorne promoted Amanda Frick, ND, to senior vice president of medical, clinical & scientific affairs, where she is responsible for driving evidence-based innovation, clinical strategy and health optimization. A graduate of Sonoran University of Health Sciences with a doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine, Dr. Frick joined Thorne in 2019 as director of medical affairs, where she has furthered scientific strategy, clinical evidence generation, innovation and AI-enabled personalization.
Specialty Nutrition named Alejandra Gratson, PhD, as managing partner, to strengthen the firm’s capabilities in nutrition innovation and commercialization strategy across dietary supplements, functional foods and consumer health. Gratson brings nearly 20 years of experience spanning R&D, product development and commercialization, with prior leadership roles at Reckitt, Designs for Health and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. In her new role, she will work alongside founder and CEO Greg Horn to advise clients on portfolio development, formulation, clinical strategy and bringing science-led nutrition technologies to market amid increasing demand for efficacy, transparency and speed.
“Companies are being asked to meet a higher standard across the board, while shortening the time between discovery and adoption, and that creates an opportunity for those who can execute with both scientific credibility and commercial focus. This is the work we are focused on with our clients.”
Greg Horn, CEO of Specialty Nutrition
RedLeaf Biologics welcomed Yale Peebles as chief growth officer to support the global expansion of the company’s proprietary red sorghum platform. A graduate of West Point and The Warton School, Yale’s career spans leadership roles at Tyson’s Foods, Bain & company, United Technologies and the U.S. Army, with accomplishments including scaling a $175 million annual renewable fuels platform and leading international expansions in China.
Saanroo (formerly Gencor) announced three strategic hires that further strengthen its scientific and commercial leadership: Pavitra Viswanath as director of clinical affairs, Liza Pepple as sales director, Southeast and Ezra Jones as sales director, Northeast.
“These appointments reflect Saanroo’s continued investment in growth, innovation and scientific excellence as we expand our reach and deepen support for brand partners,” said John Quilter, CEO of Saanroo. “Pavitra, Liza and Ezra each bring valuable expertise, strong leadership and a deep understanding of what it takes to support customers, advance innovation and strengthen our position in the market.”
Viswanath will oversee global clinical research and support the development, execution and translation of studies across the company’s ingredient portfolio, joining from Eli Lilly and Company where she served as medical science liaison manager for oncology. Pepple, a chemical engineer from Clemson University and formerly of Juice Plus+, brings more than 20 years of experience across the food, beverage and nutrition industries, and Jones has held sales positions with Microphyt, Novonesis and Nutraalliance.
Not long after, Sanroo also announced the hire of Bhargav Srinivasan as chief financial officer, charged with overseeing Saanroo’s financial strategy, capital planning, operational finance and long-term growth initiatives and helping accelerate the company’s continued investment in scientific research, strategic partnerships, and global market expansion. Most recently, Srinivasan served as a partner at Acharya Research, where he worked alongside some of Silicon Valley’s leading crossover, hedge and growth funds to identify and evaluate high-growth companies across artificial intelligence, healthcare, software, cybersecurity, fintech and consumer sectors.
He holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
“Bhargav combines the analytical rigor of a world-class investor with the operational mindset of a seasoned business leader. His experience evaluating high-growth companies, allocating capital, and supporting transformational businesses will guide Saanroo through our next chapter of expansion and innovation. As we continue to invest in science, strengthen our global footprint, and create long-term value for our partners, Bhargav’s leadership will be instrumental.”
John Quilter, CEO of Saanroo
Oshala Farm introduced Nate Brennan as its new director of wholesale. Brennan spent over 14 years at Pacific Botanicals, starting in customer care and growing into sales and purchasing manager, then senior supply chain manager before assuming the role of general manager at Foster Farm Botanicals.
Eric Withee joined NXT-USA as director of brand and business advancement to help brands turn clinical data into clear, actionable insight. Withee previously served as director of innovation at Freemen Nutra Group and sales director for the East Coast, Canada and South America at Bergstrom Nutrition. He holds a B.S. in biology from Oregon State University and a Master’s in integrative medicine research, nutrition from National University of Natural Medicine.
Umasudhan (Uma) Palaniswamy announced his departure from Valensa International in March after a decade of serving as CEO and president of the Florida-based company, thanking his team and the Board in a LinkedIn post for “a rewarding and transformative decade.”
While he did not specify what he would be doing next, he noted that “our greatest accomplishments always lie ahead.”
“Together, we strengthened our core ingredient platforms—from saw palmetto extract and Zanthin astaxanthin—through vertical integration, and expanded into key growth categories, including men’s health (USPlus and USPlus PRO), joint health (FlexProMD for both humans and pets), and, most recently, women’s health and hair wellness (Serevelle), which has seen strong adoption from leading brands. Supported by key opinion leaders, including urologists and dermatologists, protected by intellectual property and validated through rigorous clinical studies, we have built a strong foundation and durable competitive advantage for continued success.”
Uma Palaniswamy, former CEO of Valensa International
Primal Harvest appointed Hamish Edridge as CEO to lead the brand’s global scaling efforts and holistic wellness strategy. Before joining the company, Edridge spent over five years at O Positiv Health, where he served as CCO and president (International). His background also includes nearly seven years at Bain & Company as senior manager specializing in strategy and private equity due diligence across the consumer products and retail sectors. Operating as a digital first brand with hubs in Miami and Cologne, Germany, Primal Harvest has been a key part of the WM Partners, LP portfolio since the acquisition of Prime6 Brands in late 2023.
K. Patel Phyto Extractions promoted Viraj Patel to joint managing director as it seeks to move into a next phase of growth. Patel joined the company in 2011 as director of business development where he contributed to new customer development, marketing, supply chain management, raw material procurement and process development and production. He holds a B.E. in chemical engineering from Mumbai University, an M.S. in industry engineering from Oklahoma State University and completed family business management at IIM-Bangalore.
Sandy Almendarez left Informa to join BridgeTower Media, Rochester Business Journal’s parent company, as vice president of content. Almendarez spent 17 years with the Informa ecosystem, starting as managing editor at Virgo (later acquired by Informa) in 2009 and exiting as vice president of content at Informa in 2026.
As BridgeTower’s editorial leader, she will define and execute a digital-first content strategy across all more than 40 specialized B2B brands, with responsibility for audience growth, editorial standards, AI-enabled workflows and cross-functional collaboration.
“Sandy brings exactly the kind of strategic vision and editorial depth that will accelerate growth across all of our brands. Her track record of building audience-first content programs, paired with her experience scaling conference businesses and embracing emerging technologies, makes her the ideal leader to drive our content transformation. We’re thrilled to welcome Sandy to the team.”
Hal Cohen, president and CEO at BridgeTower Media
BGG Group named Bharadhwaj ‘Bharat’ Ramamoorthy as the new CEO of BGG Europe and head of the international division as the company steps up its growth plans outside of China and Japan. Ramamoorthy brings extensive leadership, strategic, finance and merger and acquisition experience from his time with flavor and fragrance multinational Givaudan and previously served as a director with the Keva group in Europe. He succeeds Jürgen Nelis, who steps into the role of Chairman of the BGG Europe board.
Randy Fournier joined Canada-based Bioriginal Food & Science Corp. as president and CEO. The leadership transition comes at a time of strong momentum for Bioriginal as the company strengthened its vertically integrated global platform and expanded through strategic acquisitions in recent years, positioning the business for continued innovation.
“Randy brings deep experience, strong values and a clear commitment to our people, customers and partners. He will focus on building upon Bioriginal’s strengths, and he is well positioned to lead the company into its next chapter of growth.” .
Glenn Cooke, CEO of Bioriginal Food & Science Corp. parent company Cooke Inc.
Amy Byrick joined the BioGaia Board of Directors. Byrick has broad international experience across the biosolutions, food ingredients and flexible packaging sectors, including holding senior leadership positions at DuPont Nutrition, Novozymes and then Novonesis. She holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Queen’s University and an MBA from INSEAD and also serves as a board member of Jungbunzlauer International.
Women’s brain health supplement brand Make Time Wellness appointed licensed psychologist and board-certified nutrition specialist (CNS) Nicole Beurkens as scientific advisor. A holistic psychologist, Dr. Beurkens has spent 25 years developing research-based strategies that address the root causes of attention, anxiety, mood and behavior challenges.
The appointment comes on the heels of the Make Time Wellness debut at the 45th Natural Products Expo West, where the brand showcased three new supplements: Make time for Menopause & Brain Health, Make time for NAD+ & Rhodiola, and Make time for Brain, Body, & Beauty 14-day Stick Packs.
“We are grateful to have Dr. Beurkens join the Make Time Wellness family. Her involvement means women have a leading expert in their corner. Someone who understands the science and believes fully that women’s brain health deserves to be taken seriously.”
Emma Heming Willis, founder of Make Time Wellness
Evelyn Reinson joined the Natural Products Association (NPA) as vice president of brand marketing & growth. In this new role, Reinson will lead NPA’s brand marketing, membership growth, member engagement, digital marketing, events marketing, sponsorship development and strategic growth initiatives.
Marconne Bandeira joined Aker Biomarine as business development director for Brazil. He brings over a decade of experience in the dietary supplements and pharmaceutical ingredients space, most recently as account manager at dsm-firmenich in Brazil and previously with Kemin Human Nutrition and Health and IMCD Group.
Sabinsa promoted Madhu Subramanian to COO, a move that coincides with Subramanian’s beginning a 34th year with the Sami-Sabinsa Group. In his new role, he continues to oversee the day-to-day global operations of Sabinsa, while taking on expanded responsibilities for organizational alignment, cross-functional leadership and the execution of the company’s long-term strategic vision. He also retains his position as executive director of Sami-Sabinsa Group Limited.
“Madhu has been the operational backbone of Sabinsa for more than three decades. His unparalleled expertise in global operations, finance and supply chain, combined with his visionary approach to strategic planning, made this appointment a natural and well-deserved progression.”
Shaheen Majeed, flobal CEO & managing director of Sabinsa
Sebastian Jakob assumed the role of vice president of human nutrition EMEA at Barentz, reflecting the company’s ambition to build a stronger human nutrition organization across the region focused on closer alignment, deeper collaboration and a sharper commercial focus. Jakob joined Barentz in 2020 working to expand business in Central and Eastern Europe.
Ankur Goyal joined Ultra Pouches as chief marketing officer to lead the brand’s global marketing strategy. Goyal previously served as senior vice president of growth at Coterie, where he played a key role during the company’s $1B+ acquisition by Mammoth Brands. He has also held leadership roles at Ampush – A Tinuiti Company and brings brand management experience at Mondelēz International.
Ultra was launched in 2025 and is a nicotine free and caffeine free functional pouch brand that uses a science-backed blend of nootropics to supercharge focus and energy. The company sold 1M cans within its first six months of launch. Goyal’s follows Ultra’s $11M Series A round led by Left Lane Capital with participation from CPG founders and investors including Barrel Ventures, Grüns and Rockstar Energy Drinks.
The Shelton Group announced that Buck Foley has joined the 36-year-old nutraceutical industry public relations and marketing firm to support strategic expansion of services to include content strategy and production, social media visibility, and AI-driven search optimization, including Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and SEO.
“Our clients are long-standing industry leaders who prioritize best practices and credible communication. Expanding into content strategy and AI search ensures we continue to support how trust and authority are built in today’s environment.”
Suzanne Shelton, founder of The Shelton Group
Zooca (Calanus AS) appointed Lisa Myrseth Hemmingsen as head of science, human health and nutrition. She joins from UiT The Arctic University of Norway, where she was an associate professor with interdisciplinary research experience spanning lipids, bioactive compounds and pharmaceutical technology. In the new role, she will help connect research, product development and commercial priorities, with responsibility for scientific documentation, external collaborations and science-based communication with customers and partners.
Contract manufacturer Vitaquest International LLC appointed Tim Condron as CEO, succeeding Patrick Brueggman who is retiring after eight years of service. Condron joins Vitaquest from BestCo Inc., where he served as president and COO, leading a strategic transformation as the organization evolved from food-standard confectionery manufacturing to full compliance with FDA drug and supplement regulations. Trained as a chemical engineer with additional qualifications in management accounting, Condron is also a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
According to the company, its 2026 strategy is anchored in three core priorities: driving customer-centricity in all aspects of the business, accelerating innovation that enables meaningful growth for its partners and strengthening its position as an employer of choice across its platform.
Tim’s combination of regulatory expertise, operational rigor and commercial leadership makes him ideally suited to build on the strong foundation Vitaquest has established. We are confident he will accelerate the company’s growth, deepen customer partnerships and continue to deliver exceptional value across the organization.”
Alan Yu, deputy chairman of parent group CK Life Sciences
Felix Zhang assumed the role of group vice president at China Feihe, China’s largest infant milk formula producer. He holds a PhD in human nutrition (medicine) from the Rowett Institute of Nutrition & Health, Scotland, UK and professor positions at China Agricultural University and Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health. Previous roles include group vice president at Mengniu Group and executive director at ByHealth.
Carlos Andrés Martínez Cristancho joined All G as head of biomanufacturing. The Sydney-based company is leveraging its precision fermentation platform to create high-purity, nature-identical recombinant dairy proteins such as LFX, a bio-equivalent bovine lactoferrin. Martinez Cristancho previously worked for global chemical company Evonik for over a decade, holding positions from senior research engineer to director of next-gen technologies with a focus on the Asia Pacific North Region.
Alessandre Keller, president of the health, nutrition & care business unit at dsm-firmenich, joined the steerting committee of Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, a not-for-profit association that brings together diverse partners to address the most pressing challenges in food, agriculture and nutrition, and co-create innovative solutions that drive better planetary and human health.
“I’m very pleased to join the Valley. What motivated me is the belief that the future of health will not only happen in hospitals, diagnostics, or pharma. It will increasingly happen earlier, through nutrition, prevention, science and everyday choices.
Alessandre Keller, president of the health, nutrition & care business unit at dsm-firmenich
Alvinesa Natural Ingredients, which upcycles by-products from the wine and olive oil industries with operations in Spain and Latin America, announces the appointment of Olivier Lavaud as CEO. His appointment marks a new chapter for Alvinesa, now focused on strengthening its position as a global reference in natural ingredients that advance a circular economy.
Actives International, a developer of cosmetic actives, botanical technologies and innovation-driven ingredient solutions, appointed Michelle Carrillo as CEO. She brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in the beauty and personal care ingredient industry.
As CEO, Carrillo will lead the company’s next phase of growth—strengthening customer partnerships, expanding innovation, elevating market presence and advancing Actives International’s evolution from ingredient supplier to innovation partner.
Building on the company’s foundation in natural products chemistry and fermentation technology, she will focus on expanding innovation, strengthening customer partnerships and translating scientific advances into targeted, high-performance solutions for skin, scalp, and hair care.
