People Moves: Protein2O Hires New CFO; Shifts at Bai

Protein2O Hires Brian Douglas as CFO

Brian Douglas, a former CFO for Thuzio, Julius Influencer Marketing Software, and ProofPilot has joined enhanced protein water brand Protein2O in the Chief Financial Officer position, according to a press release.

In an email to BevNET, Douglas said his goal as he enters the fast-growing company is to “translate the increasingly complex business” into a sustainable financial model.

“Protein2o’s recent rapid growth has greatly increased the number of variables to consider which makes building analytical tools more challenging but also more critical. As examples, we now have nine flavors with several exciting new options on the way and the number and scope of our retail distributors is increasing daily,” Douglas told BevNET.

He also noted that the company will use a financial modeling process to optimize operations in various departments and seek to increase the quality and quantity of analytical data to chart further growth.

Douglas added that he was drawn to the company both for the product and for the team behind the brand, including founder Bob Kral and chairwoman Sue Wellington.

“I was struck by the company’s ability to move beyond the thinking of the past around protein and also at their persistence in overcoming the many hurdles to creating a successful product of this type.”

Bai Executives Shifted After KDP Close

Following the close of Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s merger with Keurig Green Mountain in July, executives in charge of Bai have been repositioned within the newly formed Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), according to LinkedIn profiles.

Lain Hancock, who served as CEO of Bai from June 2017 following the departure of the brand’s founder Ben Weiss, has taken the position of Chief Strategy and Emerging Brands Officer for KDP, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Chad Portas, Chief Creative Officer of Bai since March 2014, has since taken the role of Vice President, Head of Creative for KDP, effective August, according to his profile.

It is not clear if the positions within Bai have been replaced or folded into the larger KDP entity.

Soylent Names New CFO, VP of Digital Acquisition, VP of Brand Marketing

As meal replacement brand Soylent grows its retail presence nationwide, the company has hired three new executives in key positions.

According to a press release, former Califia Farms CFO Demir Vangelov has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer, Benjamin Cariou has accepted the role of Vice President of Digital Acquisition and E-Commerce, and Andrew Thomas is the company’s new Vice President of Brand Marketing.

Vangelov will work directly with Crowley and the board of directors to drive the company’s growth and manage strategic finance planning. Cariou, formerly of Chef’d, will handle customer acquisition, retention and loyalty, merchandising, and analytics. Thomas, previously the Director of Marketing Strategy & Communications, Premium Nutrition at PepsiCo will be responsible for Soylent’s brand and product strategy, retail trade marketing, insights and innovation.

“We are thrilled to welcome such experienced and outstanding talent to the Soylent leadership team,” said CEO Bryan Crowley in a press release. “I look forward to working closely with all of them as we continue to grow and work diligently on our mission to make expensive, unhealthy and unsustainable food voids obsolete for people everywhere.”

New Age Beverages Hires John Price as CFAO

John Price, most recently the CFO at Muscle Pharm and Alliance, has joined functional drink maker New Age Beverages as the company’s Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. Price has also previously held roles at accounting firm Ernst & Young and at Silicon Valley companies Symantec and Tessera.

Price joins New Age Beverages as the company completes rebrands and line extensions across its product portfolio, which includes brands such as Marley, Bucha, Coco Libre, and Xing Tea.

“Right when you’re eclipsing $100 million [in sales] you need more and better and higher quality people, so we just need more and more resources,” CEO Brent Willis told BevNET. “A lot of experience in Silicon Valley, and experiences as a public company CFO so he brought a lot of the good insights we were looking for. But we only hire for values and culture, so he was a good values and culture fit.”