Robert Aiken Jr., TreeHouse Foods
Robert B. Aiken Jr. has been named president and chief operating officer of TreeHouse Foods.
 

OAK BROOK, ILL. — Robert B. Aiken Jr. has been named president and chief operating officer of TreeHouse Foods, Inc. Mr. Aiken will step into his new role on July 10 and replace interim company president Dennis F. Riordan, who will remain with TreeHouse Foods and become a senior adviser.

Prior to joining TreeHouse Foods, Mr. Aiken was president and chief executive officer of Essendant Inc., a wholesaler of workplace products. Prior to Joining Essendant, he had served as c.e.o. of Feeding America, president and c.e.o. of the food distributor US Foods, and president and c.e.o. of the Metz Baking Co.

Dennis  Riordan, TreeHouse Foods
Dennis F. Riordan, interim president

“Bob has a unique food industry background, having been both a customer — as the c.e.o. of US Foods — and a food manufacturer — as president and chief executive officer of Metz Baking Co.,” said Sam K. Reed, chairman and c.e.o. of TreeHouse Foods. “I’ve known Bob for many years and am confident that his background, insight and public company experience will prove instrumental as we complete the integration of the Private Brands business. Bob has a clear track record of driving margin expansion through a relentless focus on productivity and cost improvement in the face of industry change, and I am delighted to welcome him to the TreeHouse family.”

While he was with US Foods, one of Mr. Aiken’s goals was to enhance the distributor’s sale of private label products. During his tenure with the company it achieved $1.2 billion in private label sales growth.

“TreeHouse is an exceptional organization perfectly positioned to capitalize on the growth of private label,” Mr. Aiken said. “The success TreeHouse has experienced to date with the integration of the Private Brands business has laid the groundwork for future optimization. I see significant untapped potential to simplify our operations, streamline our presence and improve our profitability. We have tremendous opportunity here, and I am excited to be a part of it.”