Diana Frost named chief growth officer at Kraft Heinz

Kraft_Heinz_Canada_Kraft_Heinz_Canada_Announces_New_Chief_Growth (2)Kraft Heinz Canada has hired former Mars Wrigley exec Diana Frost to lead growth in Canada as the CPG company brings more change to its marketing leadership.

As chief growth officer, Frost will oversee research and development, digital, consumer insights, strategy and whitespace and sustainability for Kraft Heinz in Canada.

She replaces former chief growth and sustainability officer Dana Somerville, who left the company in March. Marketing duties are now split between Frost and Federico Arreola, who was made chief brand and category officer in November and whose duties include leading portfolio strategy, brand equity, marketing communications, pricing, assortment and in-store executions.

In a statement, Kraft Heinz Canada president Bruno Keller said Frost brings “an impressive record of transforming brand portfolios as we focus on growing our beloved brands and moving into new spaces.”

Before arriving at Kraft, she was head of portfolio transformation at Mars Wrigley in the U.S., where she led a redesign of the portfolio based on a strategy that is being adopted globally. Before that, she was head of marketing for Mars Wrigley Canada, where she led the integration of the two marketing organizations. She began her career at PepsiCo.

At its virtual investors day last week, Kraft Heinz said it would sell its natural cheese business to a U.S. affiliate of French dairy group Groupe Lactalis for US$3.2 billion. The company also unveiled the details of its new “strategic transformation plan.”

That plan involves transitioning from managing its portfolio as more than 55 individual brands to organizing them under six platforms built around specific consumer needs and occasions. They include “taste elevation, easy meals made better, real food snacking, fast fresh meals, easy indulgent desserts and flavourful hydration.”

The company also plans to increase spending on marketing by 30% to more than US$1.4 billion, investing most of its media budget in five areas, including ready-made meals like Mac & Cheese and healthy snacks, according to Reuters.