Schwan’s Company announced that Roberto Ríos has been named Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Ríos, a 25-year veteran of the global food and beverage industry, will serve on Schwan’s executive leadership committee.
Ríos joins Schwan’s as it enters a new era with company owner, CJ CheilJedang. As announced earlier this year, CJ acquired a majority stake in Schwan’s Company and specific Schwan’s subsidiaries that focus on foods sold in retail and grocery channels as well as food-service venues.
Together, the two organizations bring to market a portfolio of leading brands and high-quality foods across the pizza, Asian and dessert categories.
“I am very excited to have Roberto join our team. His knowledge and experience in building strategic plans for global brands and executing those plans all the way to the consumer will be important in achieving our growth goals at Schwan’s and CJ,” said Schwan’s Company CEO Dimitrios Smyrnios. “As the food industry continues to rapidly change, we are particularly excited about the role Roberto will play in accelerating our company’s digital transformation, building on the strength of our brands, catching trends and meeting evolving consumer preferences and customer needs.”
Ríos brings more than 25 years of marketing experience in the global consumer goods industry. Most recently, he served as the global chief marketing officer for beverages at PepsiCo’s world headquarters, where he was responsible for leading global brands such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7UP, Mirinda, Aquafina and LifeWater.
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Earlier, Ríos held marketing, general management and leadership positions with several PepsiCo divisions and subsidiaries, including the Frito-Lay snacks division and in countries such as Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, and México. He received a degree in chemical engineering from the National University of México. After college, he started his career in research and development with Procter & Gamble, México.
“Schwan’s is a company with strong, trusted brands that consumers love and has developed an excellent reputation with its retail and food-service customers. I am thrilled to be a part of the global Schwan’s and CJ team and look forward to helping build winning strategies and drive innovation that will deliver growth for our business and our customers,” Ríos said.
Based in Minnesota, Schwan’s Company is a U.S.-based manufacturer and marketer of foods offered through retail-grocery and food-service channels. Its brands include Red Baron, Tony’s, Big Daddy’s, Villa Prima and Freschetta pizza, Mrs. Smith’s and Edwards desserts and Pagoda Asian-style snacks. The company is an affiliate of a global lifestyle company, CJ CheilJedang.