Utz Brands, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of branded salty snacks, has announced the appointment of William J. Kelley Jr. (Bill) as EVP, VP, CFO, and principal accounting officer, effective May 1. He will succeed Ajay Kataria, who will step down from those same roles on May 1.

Kelley most recently served as global CFO at Tropicana Brands Group, Inc. Upon joining Utz, he will work closely with Kataria to help ensure a seamless transition through May 31. Kelley will report to Howard Friedman, CEO of Utz.

“Bill brings deep financial expertise and operational experience across some of the most respected names in food and beverage. We are excited to welcome him to Utz as we continue executing on our long-term growth strategy,” says Friedman. “I want to extend our gratitude to Ajay for his leadership and impact over the past eight years, the last four as CFO—his contributions were many, including as part of our public listing in 2020, multiple acquisitions and integrations, as well as a major ERP installation; all were instrumental in building our financial foundation. We wish Ajay all the best."

Commenting on his appointment, Kelley says, “I have long admired the Utz brand and the tremendous momentum it has captured behind its geographic expansion. I’m thrilled to be joining the team at such an exciting time and look forward to partnering with Howard and the broader leadership team to drive continued growth and value for shareholders.”

“I am incredibly proud of all we have accomplished during my time at Utz,” says Kataria. “It has been an honor to help grow and expand this great Company. I will be supporting the team during this transition period and look forward to all that is ahead for Utz.”

Chief customer officer retirement/appointment

Utz also announced that Mark Schreiber, EVP, sales and chief customer officer, will retire effective May 31, and will remain in a transition role through the end of June. He will be succeeded by Jeremy Stuart, currently SVP, large format.

Schreiber joined Utz in 2017 and held multiple leadership roles across both sales and marketing. During his tenure, Utz’s annual sales grew significantly, supported by successful acquisitions, distribution expansions, and brand integrations.

“Mark has been a true champion of the Utz brand and a driving force behind our commercial success. We are incredibly grateful for his leadership and wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement,” says Friedman.

“Jeremy’s deep understanding of the customer landscape and operational focus make him the ideal leader to build on Mark’s legacy and take our customer partnerships to the next level,” he adds.

Utz Quality Foods is on the current Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery “Top 50 Snack & Bakery Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Top 50” rankings.