Hostess Brands Names Arist Mastorides Chief Customer Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Hostess Brands has appointed Arist Mastorides as Chief Customer Officer, effective January 10, 2022. With over 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, Mastorides will guide global sales, customer engagement, and category insights. His leadership aims to enhance Hostess's growth through strong customer partnerships. The company, known for iconic snacks like Twinkies and CupCakes, continues to foster talent and build a robust management team under CEO Andy Callahan's vision, indicating a strategic focus on value creation and sustainable growth.

Positive

• Strategic hiring of Arist Mastorides expected to enhance customer engagement and sales.
• Mastorides brings over 30 years of industry experience, likely contributing to effective growth strategies.

Negative

• None.

CPG veteran joins Hostess Brands leadership team to drive strategic customer relationships and fuel growth

LENEXA, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hostess Brands, LLC (the “Company”) announced today that consumer packaged goods veteran Arist Mastorides will join the Company as its Chief Customer Officer on January 10, 2022. In this capacity, Mastorides will be responsible for global sales, customer engagement and experience programs, as well as leading the company’s category insights and the enterprise activation teams.

Mastorides brings more than three decades of sales, marketing, and general management experience from major CPG organizations. As Chief Customer Officer, Mastorides will lead the continued acceleration of Hostess Brands’ customer and shopper based capabilities while partnering with internal functions to deliver the company’s strategic growth plans to maximize long-term value creation.

“Arist’s extensive background will be a tremendous asset to our team as we continue to grow Hostess Brands by leveraging our beloved brands, consumer insights, and expanding reach through sustainable partnerships with our valued customers,” said Andy Callahan, the Company’s President and CEO. “Arist’s leadership skills and deep industry experience will be a terrific complement to our executive team, particularly at this exciting point in the company’s history, as we continue to attract top-class talent and build a strong management team.”

In addition to leading the global sales organization, Mastorides will have oversight of the company’s enterprise activation office and the category insights function. This end-to-end suite of responsibilities will help the organization to seamlessly identify and develop opportunities, create impactful programming, and build partnerships with customers through Hostess’s category leading sales function.

“I look forward to stepping into this new exciting role and to join a world class team of people dedicated to fueling the growth of these iconic brands and dynamic company,” said Mastorides. “It’s an exciting time of growth and innovation for Hostess and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to their profitable growth.”

Mastorides will join Hostess Brands from Kimberly Clark, where he served as President of the North American Family Care division. In this role, he was responsible for overall P&L management, strategic brand development, cross functional leadership and people development of its branded retail portfolio. In addition to his 30 year career with Kimberly Clark, Mastorides held various leadership roles of increasing responsibilities at other CPG companies.

About Hostess Brands, LLC

Hostess Brands, LLC is a leading packaged food company focused on developing, manufacturing, marketing, selling and distributing sweet baked goods in the United States and Canada. The history of Hostess® dates back to 1919, when Hostess® CupCakes were introduced to the public, followed by Twinkies® in 1930. Today, Hostess Brands produces a variety of new and classic treats in addition to Twinkies® and CupCakes, including Donettes®, Ding Dongs®, Zingers®, Danishes, Honey Buns and Coffee Cakes. In January 2020, the Company acquired Voortman Cookies Limited, which produces a variety of cookie and wafer products, including sugar-free products under the Voortman® brand. For more information about Hostess® products and Hostess Brands, please visit hostesscakes.com. Follow Hostess on Twitter: @Hostess_Snacks; on Facebook: facebook.com/Hostess; on Instagram: Hostess_Snacks; and on Pinterest: pinterest.com/hostesscakes.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements reflecting the Company’s views about its future performance that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are generally identified through the inclusion of words such as “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “will,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” or similar language. Statements addressing events and developments that the Company expects or anticipates will occur are also considered as forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date hereof.

These statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, maintaining, extending and expanding the Company's reputation and brand image; protecting intellectual property rights; leveraging the Company's brand value to compete against lower-priced alternative brands; correctly predicting, identifying and interpreting changes in consumer preferences and demand and offering new products to meet those changes; operating in a highly competitive industry; the continued ability to produce and successfully market products with extended shelf life; the ability to pass cost increases on to our customers; the ability to maintain or add additional shelf or retail space for the Company's products; our ability to identify or complete strategic acquisitions, alliances, divestitures or joint ventures; our ability to successfully integrate, achieve expected synergies and manage our acquired businesses and brands; the ability to drive revenue growth in key products or add products that are faster-growing and more profitable; adverse impact or disruption to our business caused by COVID-19 or future outbreaks of highly infectious or contagious diseases; volatility in commodity, energy, and other input prices and the ability to adjust pricing to cover increased costs; significant changes in the availability and pricing of transportation; dependence on major customers; increased labor and employee related costs; strikes or work stoppages; product liability claims, product recalls, or regulatory enforcement actions; dependence on third parties for significant services; unanticipated business disruptions; geographic focus could make the Company particularly vulnerable to economic and other events and trends in North America; consolidation of retail customers; unsuccessful implementation of business strategies to reduce costs; increased costs to comply with governmental regulation; failures, unavailability, or disruptions of the Company's information technology systems; dependence on key personnel or a highly skilled and diverse workforce; the Company's ability to finance indebtedness on terms favorable to the Company; and other risks as set forth from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, the Company's actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Item 1A-Risk Factors in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2020 filed on February 24, 2021. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on the Company's behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these risk factors. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211122005213/en/

Marie Espinel, Katie Lewis or Hannah Arnold

The LAKPR Group

mespinel@lakpr.com, klewis@lakpr.com or harnold@lakpr.com

Source: Hostess Brands, LLC

FAQ

What is the significance of Arist Mastorides joining Hostess Brands (TWNK)?

His expertise in sales and marketing is anticipated to boost customer engagement and sales growth for Hostess Brands.

When will Arist Mastorides start his role at Hostess Brands (TWNK)?

Arist Mastorides will begin his position as Chief Customer Officer on January 10, 2022.

What is the focus of Arist Mastorides's role at Hostess Brands (TWNK)?

He will oversee global sales, customer engagement, and insights to drive the company's growth.

How does Hostess Brands (TWNK) plan to enhance its growth strategy?

The company aims to leverage customer partnerships and insights through the leadership of Mastorides.