People on the move: New nutra jobs of summer 2026

Across ingredient suppliers and supplement brands, new appointments are clustering around turning R&D into regional and retail reach, strengthening quality and regulatory leadership, and translating technical credibility into consumer and practitioner trust in a digital world.

Positions are being created for leaders who can bridge science, operations and marketing to translate innovation into practical supply strategies, profitable growth and sharper market positioning spanning categories like fermentation, microalgae, precision nutrition, GLP-1 support, healthspan and omnichannel wellness.

Below a look at the comings and goings impacting the sector.

EuroPharma appointed Holly Hirsch as interim president & CEO following the Sept. 3 passing of founder, CEO and President Terry Lemerond. Holly previously served as EuroPharma’s chief operating officer and will maintain business continuity for the employee-owned natural health brand in her new role, carrying forward the mission, culture, quality and purpose established by Lemerond, a pioneer of the natural health community.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) announced that Scott Melville will step down as president and CEO early next year after 16 years of leadership. During his tenure, Melville brought together OTC medicines, dietary supplements and OTC medical devices under a unified vision for self-care and strengthened CHPA’s influence with policymakers, regulators, healthcare stakeholders and consumers, while reinforcing the association’s reputation as a trusted advocate grounded in science. The Board’s search process for Melville’s replacement will be led by Greg Bradley, Chairman of Foundation Consumer Healthcare and Chair of the CHPA Board of Directors, and Chair-elect Phil McWaters, SVP and General Manager, North America Personal Health Care at Procter & Gamble, in collaboration with the CHPA Executive Committee.

The Vitamin Shoppe promoted Jack Gayton to senior vice president of merchandising, reporting directly to CEO Sharon Leite. He assumes the top merchandising role from Muriel Gonzalez, president of The Vitamin Shoppe, who announced her retirement in August from a retail career spanning more than four decades. Since joining The Vitamin Shoppe in 2019 as a senior buyer, Gayton has taken on increasing responsibility across the merchant team and is now charged with advancing the The Vitamin Shoppe’s business priorities by anticipating changing customer needs, moving quickly on emerging trends, and working closely with brand partners to bring differentiated products and experiences to market.

As part of the new merchandising structure, David DiTota has been promoted to vice president, divisional merchandise manager, and will help lead the retailer’s third-party assortments and further opportunities across high-growth wellness categories.

The Vitamin Shoppe also appointed Kimberley Gardiner as EVP, chief marketing and growth officer to oversee brand strategy and creative to oversee brand strategy and creative, performance marketing, e-commerce, CRM and personalization, loyalty, and corporate communications and public relations. Gardiner has held senior leadership roles at Tractor Supply Company, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi Motors North America and Kia Motors America. In her new role, she will contribute to the continued evolution of The Vitamin Shoppe as a more digitally connected and customer-centric wellness platform.

ADM created a new EVP & COO role for former Syngenta CEO Jeff Rowe, where he will oversee the company’s commercial businesses, global manufacturing and R&D efforts. At Syngenta, Rowe led efforts to advance sustainable farming and AI-powered innovation and spent over 20 years in executive positions at DuPont Pioneer spanning strategy, international operations, biotech and regulatory affairs. He is also a fifth-generation farmer, helping to run his family’s regenerative farm in Illinois and has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from Iowa State University, a Juris Doctorate from Drake Law School and a Global Executive MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and the London School of Economics.

Freemen Nutra named Joseph Chiang as its new global CEO to lead the company’s next phase of global expansion and brand evolution. Chiang has held executive positions at Amway/Nutrilite, Glanbia and Howtian, with experience spanning strategic transformation, global sourcing and building high-performance organizations within complex international markets.

Contract manufacturer Vitaquest International appointed Luigi Cappello as chief commercial officer (CCO) to help drive the company’s continued growth, customer engagement, innovation and market expansion. Cappello brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across consumer health, healthcare and branded businesses, most recently serving as chief commercial officer at Helen of Troy. His career also includes senior leadership roles at Sanofi, Bayer Consumer Care and Merck Consumer Care.

Saanroo hired Mukeshkumar Chauhan as deputy general manager for the India & South West Asia region, a new position created as part of an expansion of operations to India. In his new role, Chahan will lead commercial initiatives for Saanroo India, strengthening customer relationships, expanding strategic partnerships, and supporting the company’s continued regional growth. Chauhan joins Saanroo from Ashland, where he played a key role in establishing and scaling the company’s film-coating business in India. He brings more than 15 years of experience in sales, marketing and business development across the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, with extensive expertise in commercial strategy, customer engagement and market development.

STAUBER appointed Adam Adelmann as vice president, commercial – food & health sciences to advance the ingredient supplier’s growth strategy and strength, customer and supplier relationships across its markets. Adelman has over 20 years of B2B industry experience in consumer health with 10 years in strategic and tactical leadership at companies including Capsugel, Capstone Nutrition, Lonza and most recently at OmniActive Health Technologies as chief commercial officer and president of core markets.

Aaron Heidebreicht joined Swiss nutrition company KA-EX as CEO, North America. Heidebreicht previously led Applied Nutrition’s North American business.

Seppic appointed Virginie Cavalli as CEO. With a degree from EMLyon school in business and financial strategy, Cavalli joined the parent company Air Liquide Group in 1992. She has since served across business units in France, the United States, Chile and Singapore. Most recently, she served as CEO for Air Liquide in Japan and has been deputy group vice president of human resources for the group since 2023.

Mo Lababidi rejoined Alkemist Lab as director of botanical identity to help drive innovation and operational excellence. He previously spent more than a decade at Alkemist, advancing through key laboratory and leadership positions, before spending over six years at Tentamus California as department manager and lab activities director. He holds an MBA from the University of Redlands and a degree in chemistry from California State University, Long Beach.

Danish microalgae ingredients startup Algiecel appointed Mette Ingeman Pedersen as chief financial officer and Tove Feld to chair its board of directors. The appointments strengthen a female-led leadership team headed by CEO Susanne Palsten Buchardt and support Algiecel’s next phase of growth, building the financial, operational and governance capabilities needed to scale its controlled marine bioactives platform for nutrition, pet food and personal care markets.

Hannah Spencer Ackermann, RDN, joined DMC Biotechnologies, Inc. as director of product management after six years at COMET, where she moved from marketing manager in 2020 to vice president of marketing and nutrition affairs. With a BA in Journalism and BS in Dietetics from Indiana University Bloomington, previous roles include consumer insights analyst at Mintel, food & nutrition specialist at Ketchum and food & nutrition communications at Edelman. In her new role, she will raise help awareness about DMC’s precision fermentation myo- and D-chiro inositols and the overall inositol category.

Barentz appointed Isabela Trad as head of human nutrition South America to accelerate growth across its human nutrition business in the region. She has held key roles in multinational ingredient companies, including recent experiences at Ingredion and Tate & Lyle, where she focused on specialty ingredients and health-focused solutions across Latin America.

Matt Schiffman joined Rho Nutrition as VP of Retail Sales. Most recently, he helped lead retail growth at Bubble and Gainful, driving partnerships and expansion across major retailers. Previously, he held brand leadership roles at RSP Nutrition, where he helped build and grow a portfolio of performance nutrition products. At Rho, he is charged with leading retail strategy and expansion to bring Rho’s liquid liposomal nutrition to more consumers.

Bastyr University appointed Randy Frisch, PhD, JD, MBA, as the university’s seventh president in its 48-year history. He succeeds interim Bastyr University president and co-founder Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, who transitioned to a role as Bastyr’s first chancellor. Before joining Bastyr University, Dr. Frisch was president of City University (CityU) Seattle from 2013 to 2024 and served as general counsel for CityU’s parent organization, National University, a private, non-profit system of higher education with 25,000 students and 3,000 employees. In the coming academic year, Dr. Frisch will oversee the continued refinements to university operations and programs to lower cost barriers and help more students access excellent naturopathic medicine and aligned health sciences higher education.

Ritual promoted Brittany Cox from senior manager of product development to director of product development. Prior to joining Ritual in 2024, she led product development at UST MFG, held senior product scientist and formulation roles within the industry, and earned her Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University – Idaho, followed by an MBA from Western Governors University.

Kyle Maurer joined resbiotic as chief marketing officer to help showcase the company’s rigorous science as it continues to expand across retail, e-commerce, healthcare practitioners and international markets. He brings experience in DTC and omnichannel strategy, subscription economics, incrementality-led media and mix modeling, influence and creator programs and AI marketing operations and has held senior marketing roles at Gorilla Mind and Monster Energy. He holds a BA in communication and media studies from The Ohio State University and an executive MBA from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management.

SIRIO Europe appointed Kasia Kortmann as general manager of European business. She previously served as general manager for DACH (Germany, Austria & Switzerland), Benelux and the Nordics and VP of Commercial Transformation Europe at Ontex. Earlier in her career, Kortmann spent several years at Procter & Gamble, across local markets and EMEA HQ, where she managed multiple regions. She joins the business at a period of strong growth. SIRIO’s European revenue reached €93.8 million in 2025, up 24.95% year on year, making Europe the company’s fastest-growing region. In her new role, Kortmann is charged combining the company’s pharmaceutical heritage and global scale to define a clear long-term strategy to build an organization that can execute consistently across every market and capitalizing on the momentum in longevity, active lifestyle nutrition, beauty from within, and women’s and children’s health.

Model, entrepreneur and wellness advocate Carolyn Murphy joined Infinity Wellness as partner and chief brand officer. The appointment marks a defining moment for Infinity Wellness as it evolves from a pioneer in whole-food greens into a broader wellness platform. In this role, Murphy will lead the creative vision for Infinity Wellness, shaping brand storytelling, product positioning, creative direction and consumer experience while helping guide the company’s long-term strategic growth. Founder Billy Merritt continues to serve as chief innovation officer, leading product formulation and education, and CEO Lars Hem will continue to oversee the company’s strategic direction and operations.

Nestlé Coffee & Beverage Division President Daniel Jhung was promoted to president of Nestlé Health Science US, describing the appointment as a homecoming. His first role at Nestlé in 2007 was marketing manager for Carnation Breakfast Essentials, which would later become the Nestlé Health Science division. He holds a BA in economics from Stanford University and an MBA in general management from Harvard Business School.

Courtney Jackson was promoted to manager of regulatory & scientific affairs at Nestlé Health Science. Jackson joined the company full time as principal nutritionist in 2023 after serving as director of research & development and vice president of nutrition at Persona, then a Nestlé Health Science company. She earned her BA in nutrition sciences from Bastyr University and holds a Master of Public Health in nutrition from Liberty University.

Rania Abou Samra joined Lesaffre International SARL as chief research, development & innovation officer, working across the group and with the Lesaffre Institute of Science and Technology to expand the potential of fermentation to address major food, health and environmental challenges. Abou Samra, who hold a degree in nutrition from the University of Toronto, joined Nestlé in 2007 as a clinical research scientist in Switzerland and progressed through various R&D roles over the next 18 years. More recently, she was appointed VP research & development for Vital Proteins before being named VP and global head of technology and product development, as well as head of R&D US at Nestlé Health Science. Since April 2024, she served as VP and head of innovation and R&D for Nestlé Middle East and North Africa.

After eight years at Nestlé Health Science in Medical Nutrition, Natalya Kirilyuk started a new chapter as global category lead – weight management & GLP-1 at Nestlé. She began her career at Nestlé in 2013 as project leader on the strategic innovation team before joint Nestlé Health Science in 2018, where she built expertise across medical nutrition, category leadership, and global brand and business initiatives.

Constanza Stocchi started a new role as nutrition & scientific affairs manager at Nestlé. An HCPC-registered dietitian and nutrition scientist and graduate of King’s College London, Stocchi worked across pediatric dietetics in the National Health Service in the UK and medical nutrition roles in industry.

Ocean Spray Cranberries welcomed Abigail Buckwalter as president and CEO. A leader at Nestlé Health Science U.S. since its inception 15 years ago, Buckwalter held roles across Europe, Oceania, and North America and most recently served as CEO for the past three years.

Michael Messina started a new position within the Unilever Wellbeing Group as vice president of quality & regulatory - VMS Co-Op, supporting OLLY PBC and SmartyPants Vitamins. He previously led quality initiatives at Kenvue and DSM and holds a MS in molecular biology from Montclair University and PhD in cell and developmental biology from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Aaron Jones took over as marketing officer at Grüns to help scale growth after the greens gummy unicorn was acquired for $1.2 billion by Unilever a month prior. Jones previously served as chief digital officer at Liquid I.V. (also part of the Unilever Wellbeing Collective) where he specialized in e-commerce strategy, digital marketplace integration and multi-channel marketing campaigns, and held digital leadership roles with Unilever.

Dutch ingredient supplier IMCD Group appointed Walter Ripple as executive vice president, commercial, US. With this newly created role, IMCD says it is focusing on deepening supplier and customer relationships, driving portfolio excellence and accelerating organic growth. Ripple joins from Avient Corporation, where he spent over 27 years in sales and senior leadership roles. He holds a Bachelor’s of Chemistry from Texas A&M University and an Executive MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

IMCD Group also promoted long-time employee Mary Lim to global vice president of technical, food & nutrition. Lim joined the company as technical manager in 2010 and previously held a similar role at ingredient supplier Nealanders International before it was acquired by Caldic B.V.

Helia Santos stepped into the role CEO at Double Wood Supplements. With 20 years of experience spanning finance, marketing, sales, and general management, she joins from Opella, where she served as head of integrated commercial strategy and then driving growth as president & general manager- Qunol.

Aker BioMarine appointed Margaret Ng as its new West Coast sales director for human health ingredients to drive growth for the company’s B2B ingredient portfolio including Superba Krill Oil, Revervia and Lysoveta and PL+. She brings over 15 years of nutraceutical and contract manufacturing experience cultivated through sales roles at PAT Vitamins, CAPTEK Softgel International and most recently at senior account manager for nutrition at Actylis.

Sabinsa announced Brandon Prenger as the company’s new director of business development. He previously held business development roles at INS/Innovative Natural Solutions, SpecNova, Nutragenesis/Innophos Nutrition, Deerland Enzymes and National Enzyme Company where he built and grew sales territories, cultivated strategic relationships with R&D and product development teams, and helped bring clinically supported branded ingredients to market. Prenger holds a Bachelor of Science in animal science from Southern Illinois University.

BioTRUST Nutrition named Rachel Sexton as president to spearhead a strategy to evolve BioTRUST from a product-led nutrition company into a trusted healthspan platform. A graduate of New York University’s Stern School of Business, Sexton spent more than a decade at Reckitt in leadership roles spanning innovation, strategy, portfolio management and brand transformation and later served as a senior executive at Wellbeam Consumer Health before most recently serving as chief marketing officer, North America, at Flora Food Group. She is also the creator of Limitless Boundaries, a platform dedicated to advancing human potential in an age of accelerating intelligence.

Infinite Roots promoted Franziska Ploch from head of supply chain to director of operations. A graduate of Hamburg University of Technology, Ploch previously held roles as junior specialist at McKinsey & Company, manager of digital industrial engineering at Beiersdorf before joining Infinite Roots as strategic operations manager of supply chain in 2023.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, announced Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, as director of NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Since October 2025, Dr. Weber has provided scientific leadership and strategic counsel and contributed to budget oversight to NCCIH as acting deputy director. As the head of NCCIH, Dr. Weber will manage the administration of the center’s approximately $170 million budget. NCCIH supports research that aims to determine the fundamental science, usefulness and safety of complementary and integrative health approaches and their roles in improving health and health care. Prior to joining NIH as a program director in 2009, she led clinical investigations of complementary health interventions at Bastyr University, Kenmore, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. As a faculty member at Bastyr University, Dr. Weber conducted clinical trials of botanical interventions, including echinacea for the common cold. She was the first naturopathic physician to receive an NIH career development (K) award, which supported her clinical trial of St. John’s Wort for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. She received her N.D. from Bastyr University, Kenmore, and a Master of Public Health and PhD from the University of Washington, Seattle.