Kraft Foods has chosen Sam Rovit to be its executive vice president of strategy. He replaces Michael Osanloo, who is now Kraft’s president of North American grocery.
Starting Jan. 29, Rovit will head Kraft’s strategy team, which works with the company’s various business units, to emphasize growth and savings targets. The team is also charged with improving performance in the company’s brands and its sales in the channels where they are sold, like supermarkets or gas stations.
As a member of Kraft’s executive team, he will report directly to chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld.
“Sam has impressive strategic and operational experience in the consumer packaged goods industry as CEO of Swift and as a senior partner in a blue-chip consulting firm,” Rosenfeld said in a statement. “His deep understanding of corporate, customer, category and channel strategies will be instrumental in Kraft’s delivery of top-tier financial results.”
Prior to this position at Kraft, Rovit, 52, was with Bain & Co. In his time there, he led Bain’s Global Agribusiness, Global Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Renewal practices. From 2005 to 2007, Rovit was CEO of Swift & Co. During that time, Kraft said, he led a turnaround of the business.
