UNIVERSITY PARK, ILL. — Ken Hall has joined the board of directors of Avatar Corp., a US producer of food processing aids.

A third-generation Australian baker, Mr. Hall has more than 40 years of global food industry experience, most recently as operations director of Central California Baking Co., a division of United States Bakery. Earlier in his career he helped establish or update bakery operations within numerous companies, including Bunge, Quaker Oats Co., Associated British Foods, Dawn Foods and Woolworths Supermarkets Australia.

He attended South Bank Borough University in London, where he studied applied science; the National Bakery School in London, where he studied advance city and guilds bread making, flour confectionery, hygiene and sanitation; and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where he studied business management. 

As a member of Avatar’s board, Mr. Hall will help the company address challenges in the food and beverage industry, specifically within the baking sector, said Ed Trauth, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Avatar.

“Ken brings to Avatar a true depth of global knowledge from the baking industry,” Mr. Trauth said. “His firsthand experience with baking operations will assist the growth strategies of our expanding portfolio of bakery release agents as Avatar expands its presence in the US with scheduled distribution points on the West Coast and, eventually, globally.”