Hostess Brands, Inc. has appointed Darryl Riley as its first chief sustainability officer, effective immediately. 

Riley, who most recently served as senior vice president, quality, food safety, and R&D, will report to Andy Callahan, president and CEO of Hostess Brands.

“As Hostess Brands continues to focus on building a socially responsible, modern-day snacking powerhouse, we believe dedicating an executive leadership position to sustainability will drive continued progress and integration,” Callahan said. “With his deep industry expertise and operational experience, Darryl is the ideal leader to help us integrate our sustainability-first approach with our sustainable profitable growth mindset.”

In his new role, Riley will expand the company’s capabilities to develop and execute strategies to drive its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) objectives and initiatives. Riley also will lead efforts to develop awareness, education, training and measurement programs that inspire employees to embrace sustainability and further integrate ESG into the company culture.

Riley joined Hostess Brands in 2016. Prior to joining Hostess Brands, he held positions of increasing responsibility at various food companies, including Kraft Heinz and Kellogg Company. Riley earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Hostess Brands also announced that Mike Cramer, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, who was critical in establishing the Hostess Brands corporate sustainability framework, including its Corporate Responsibility Reports in 2021 and 2022, will transfer ESG responsibilities to Riley. Cramer will continue to be a member of the leadership team with primary responsibility for government and labor relations, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), along with special projects for the CEO and the board of directors, effective immediately.

“Mike’s contributions to building the modern-day Hostess Brands since our 2013 relaunch under a bold new vision and operating model have been immeasurable, and we are fortunate to have Mike’s knowledge and wisdom as we continue our growth journey,” Callahan said.

Cramer has served in his current role since 2013. Prior to that, he held various executive roles with several private and public consumer products companies, including Pabst Brewing Company, Pinnacle Foods, Ghirardelli Chocolate, International Home Foods, and The Morningstar Group.

He also was the president and chief operating officer of Southwest Sports Group and president and chief operating officer of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars. He is a senior fellow in the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, and he earned his juris doctor degree at Marquette University Law School.