BOULDER, COLO. — Rudi’s Organic Bakery has created an Innovation and Impact Board, which will advise the company on how to grow its brand and strengthen its ESG efforts. According to Rudi’s, the board will act under the leadership of chief executive officer Jane Miller, who recently returned to the company after a 10-year hiatus.
The five newly appointed board members are Sheldon Romer, co-founder and former CEO of Rudi’s who has gone on to become a well-respected leadership adviser; Justin Gold, a sustainability leader and founder of fellow Boulder-based food brand Justin’s; Cynthia Tice, a noted advocate of women’s empowerment in the workplace and founder of Lily’s Sweets; Rick Sterling, founding partner of consulting firm Sterling-Rice Group (SRG), which specializes in the strategic growth of CPG; and Terry Tierney, operating partner for Hummingbird Brands and former CEO of Daiya Foods.
“I originally joined Rudi’s in 2008, and when I left in 2014, Rudi’s was the No. 1 organic brand and No. 2 gluten-free brand in the US,” Ms. Miller said. “We have the opportunity to return to our former glory with an outstanding internal #dreamteam focused on new and exciting innovation for our retailers and consumers. As we reinvent and reinvigorate Rudi’s, it’s an honor to welcome five of my highly respected industry colleagues onto our Innovation and Impact Board. Each of these executives believe that Rudi’s has a special place in the hearts of consumers and together, we will bring Rudi’s back to the forefront of the natural industry. We’re incredibly fortunate to have Sheldon, Justin, Cynthia, Rick and Terry join the Rudi’s family, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.”
In addition to the new board, Rudi’s named Kaan Dagalti as chief operating officer and Adam Hertel as chief sales officer.
Mr. Dagalti has been a board member of Rudi’s since April 2020. He is also president of Brooklyn, NY-based Lebby Snacks. Earlier, he was vice president of portfolio companies at Yildiz Holding, and head of strategic initiatives at pladis Global. He also worked in a variety of roles at Godiva Chocolatier for more than seven years.
Before joining Rudi’s, Mr. Hertel was president and founder of Summit Sales Consulting. He also has spent time as vice president of omnichannel at Organifi and held sales roles at ITO EN (North America) Inc. Mr. Hertel worked for nearly seven years at Soma Beverage Co., and also worked for a year as a campaign manager at MillerCoors.