Carlos Abrams-Rivera has been tapped as the next CEO of Kraft Heinz, effective Jan. 1. Until then, he will continue in his role as president of North American operations with the added responsibilities of becoming president of Kraft Heinz. He succeeds Miguel Patricio, who has served in the role since 2019. Patricio will transition to the role of non-executive chair of the company’s board.
Jamie Asbury has been selected as the new general manager of the Imperial Irrigation District. She currently serves as the manager of the IID Energy Department.
Carlos Abrams-Rivera, Kraft Heinz
Jeffrey Kightlinger has been hired as a consultant by the Imperial Irrigation District to help negotiate terms on how to use and preserve the Colorado River’s water levels. Kightlinger started Acequia Consulting after retiring from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, where he was the general manager.
Omar Bobadilla has been brought on as the new vice president of agriculture operations for Bonduelle Fresh Americas. Bringing 20 years of experience to the role, Bobadilla previously worked at Dole Fresh Vegetables as the plant director of value-added, located in Soledad, Calif.
Edward Spang has been named director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at the University of California, Davis. Spang has been with UC Davis for the last 12 years, first joining as the associate director of the Center for Water-Energy Efficiency. He’s been with the Department of Food Science and Technology faculty since 2015 and was the faculty adviser for the Food Loss and Waste Collaborative. He succeeds Andrew Waterhouse, professor emeritus with the Department of Viticulture and Enology, who retired in June after five years as RMI director.
Cody Ramsey has been hired as the new director of sales for produce company Tanimura & Antle. Ramsey most recently worked at D’Arrigo of California as the sales and marketing manager. Before that, he worked at Mann Packing as the director of food service sales.
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Mission Produce has brought on Sean Bagheri as its new commercial director. He will be based in the Netherlands and responsible for growing the European business. Bagheri holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. He most recently worked at Asica Group as a sales director.
Tony Bashir Sarsam has been selected to sit on Mission Produce’s board of directors. Sarsam has more than 30 years of experience in the produce industry, currently serving as the president and CEO of SpartanNash.
Ramon Ojeda has been named executive director of the National Mango Board. He previously served as the operations director at NMB.
Utah Farm Bureau President Ron Gibson has resigned his position after being arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault after a confrontation with a worker on his dairy farm last week. The argument “escalated into a physical altercation, resulting in injuries to the employee that necessitated medical attention,” the Weber County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Gibson also is facing human trafficking allegations and is being investigated by Utah's State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.
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