Dawn Foods promotes John Schmitz to Chief Operating Officer
In his expanded role as COO, Schmitz will drive greater integration and collaboration between North and Latin America, leveraging the strengths of both regions to accelerate growth and deliver enhanced value to customers.
USA – Dawn Foods has promoted John Schmitz to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO), Americas, a strategic move to enhance leadership across its North and Latin American operations.
Schmitz, who joined Dawn in 2020 as President of North America, now takes on broader accountability for the Americas region.
He will continue overseeing North America while gaining responsibility for Latin America’s operations, reporting directly to CEO Carrie Jones-Barber.
John Schmitz brings nearly 30 years of experience in the food and beverage and retail sectors, including a 12-year tenure at Land O’Lakes where he led international business growth across Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business.
In his expanded role as COO, Schmitz will drive greater integration and collaboration between North and Latin America, leveraging the strengths of both regions to accelerate growth and deliver enhanced value to customers.
Emilio Castillo remains President of Latin America and will continue managing day-to-day operations there, reporting to Schmitz. Castillo has led the Latin American business to a record performance, underscoring strong regional leadership.
CEO Carrie Jones-Barber praised Schmitz for his leadership and strategic vision, noting that he has built a robust leadership team and delivered outstanding results since joining the company.
She expressed confidence that his expertise in Latin America and North America will elevate Dawn’s success in both regions.
Schmitz also highlighted the opportunity to deepen collaboration and innovation across the Americas, stating that Dawn’s legacy in the baking industry provides a strong foundation on which to build.
The company partners with more than 50,000 artisanal and retail bakers and foodservice providers globally, with manufacturing in over 100 countries and nearly 4,000 employees worldwide.
This leadership elevation signals Dawn Foods’ focus on operational excellence, regional synergy, and sustained growth as it navigates a competitive global bakery ingredients market.
The promotion aligns with broader industry trends of optimizing supply chains, investing in technology, and expanding market reach in key growth regions like the Americas.
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