OAK BROOK, ILL. — Ann M. Sardini has been elected to chair of the board of TreeHouse Foods, Inc. She has served as an independent director on the TreeHouse board since May 2008 and will succeed Gary D. Smith, who has served as chairman since July 2018 and will remain on the board. The transition will take effect at the company’s annual meeting of stockholders in April.
"I am honored to assume this new role at such a pivotal point in time for TreeHouse," Ms. Sardini said. "Over the last few years, TreeHouse has made great strides on its transformative growth journey under Steve Oakland's leadership. I'm proud of our talented management team and the tremendous strength of our board, which Gary has steadfastly guided throughout his tenure as chairman. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the executive management team and my fellow directors, as we build on our momentum and further champion diversity of perspectives, skills and backgrounds throughout the organization in support of TreeHouse's ongoing success and long-term value creation for stockholders."
Ms. Sardini brings finance and leadership experience in branded and direct-to-consumer products and services and media companies. She currently leads a strategic consulting practice advising companies on growth, mergers and acquisitions, capital restructuring and other value creation strategies. She has held senior leadership roles at various multi-national companies and early-stage startups across health and wellness, retail and media sectors, including Weight Watchers International, VitaminShoppe.com, Sesame Workshop and Q2, a startup division of online retailer QVC. She also chairs the board of Ideal Protein, a privately held health care company, and previously served on the board at Pier 1 Imports.
"Ann is a natural choice to assume the chair position, as her extensive strategic, financial and governance expertise, along with her deep knowledge of the trends impacting our industry, will continue to be instrumental in guiding TreeHouse's future success,” Mr. Smith said. “I look forward to supporting Ann in her expanded role and to working alongside my fellow directors in continuing to deliver progress on our strategic objectives.”