Pinnacle Hires Hillshire’s Mary Beth DeNooyer

May 28, 2013

Pinnacle Foods Inc. announced changes to its executive leadership team, including the hiring of a new chief human resources officer.

Mary Beth DeNooyer, a seasoned human resources executive who most recently served as senior vice president and chief human resources officer for Hillshire Brands, has been appointed executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Pinnacle Foods. Prior to Hillshire Brands, Mary Beth served in senior HR roles at the Hillshire Brands predecessor, Sara Lee, and the Pepsi Bottling Group. She began her career at General Mills, after earning a Master's Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Drexel University. DeNooyer will report to Pinnacle Foods Chief Executive Officer Bob Gamgort. She replaces John Butler, who is retiring from Pinnacle Foods after five years of service to the company and a distinguished HR career in both the food and retailing industries.

Commenting on the announcement, Bob Gamgort said in a prepared statement, "I am pleased to welcome Mary Beth to Pinnacle and am confident that she will be a strong addition to our team. Her extensive experience leading human resources in the food industry and, most recently, at Hillshire Brands in preparation of the Sara Lee spin-off, will serve us well as a new public company. I also want to thank John for his leadership and service to Pinnacle and, on behalf of the entire organization, wish him the very best in his retirement."

Pinnacle also announced that Mark Schiller, currently executive vice president (EVP) and president of Pinnacle's Duncan Hines Grocery Division, will move into the role of EVP and president of the Birds Eye Frozen Division, replacing Sally Genster Robling, who is leaving the company after a transition period to pursue new opportunities that provide greater time flexibility. Schiller joined Pinnacle in 2010 from PepsiCo, where he held a number of executive management positions including senior vice president of Frito-Lay new ventures and president of Quaker Foods. An external search is currently underway for the position of EVP and president of Duncan Hines. In the interim, Bob Gamgort will oversee the Duncan Hines team.

Commenting further, Bob Gamgort stated, "I am confident that our Birds Eye Frozen Division will benefit from Mark's leadership, and I look forward to working closely with the Duncan Hines team while we conduct our search. I also want to thank Sally for her leadership of Birds Eye and her success in building the Division following our acquisition of Birds Eye Foods in late 2009. We all wish her well as she embarks on the next chapter of her career."