CINCINNATI — Christopher D. Sliva has been named president of AdvancePierre Foods and appointed to the company’s board of directors effective Nov. 14. Sliva will become CEO on March 31, 2017, when current company CEO John Simons will retire. Sliva was most recently president and COO of TreeHouse Foods, Inc., Oak Brook, Illinois.
“I am very pleased to welcome Chris to AdvancePierre,” said Dean Hollis, chairman of the board. “Having spent a significant part of his career working in a customer-focused environment, Chris is well-equipped to reinforce and build upon AdvancePierre’s customer-centric approach. Chris also shares our passion for food and his highly relevant experience as a senior executive with publicly-traded food and beverage companies strongly positions him to lead AdvancePierre through its next phase of growth.”
In addition to Sliva’s hiring, the company announced several promotions, including George Chappelle, who has been appointed COO. He was previously senior vice-president of supply chain and corporate development. Jim Clough has been named chief commercial officer for the company. He was most recently president of AdvancePierre’s Foodservice business unit.
Regarding Simons’ transition, Hollis said: “John has been instrumental in transforming AdvancePierre’s culture into one focused on collaboration and excellence and in building a world-class management team. Under John’s leadership, AdvancePierre has implemented the APF way, our sustainable improvement program that transformed our business performance and enhanced our margin profile. We look forward to continuing to benefit from John’s experience and guidance as chief executive officer throughout the transition period.”
Before joining TreeHouse Foods, Sliva spent six years as an executive at Dean Foods, Dallas. Previously, he held various leadership roles and sales and marketing positions with Eastman Kodak Co., Fort James Corp. and Procter & Gamble Distributing Co.
