Industry Veteran Brings More Than Three Decades of Experience in Food, Beverage and Consumer Products Industries to Lead Dean Foods’ Transformation
Dean Foods Company has announced that Eric Beringause has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Dean Foods Board of Directors, effective July 29, 2019. Beringause succeeds Ralph Scozzafava, who has stepped down as CEO and resigned from his position on the Board.
Jim Turner, Non-Executive Chairman of the Dean Foods Board said, “We believe Eric is the right leader to drive the transformation of the business as the Company continues to execute on its enterprise-wide cost productivity plan and its previously announced exploration of strategic alternatives. He has a long track record of creating value in dairy and consumer products companies, as well as a unique combination of turnaround and operational expertise.”
“I am honored to join Dean Foods at this important juncture. Dean Foods is the nation’s largest dairy processor and a leader in the industry, and I am excited to work with the Board and management team to leverage our scale and substantial assets to realize the significant opportunities available to transform our company. My top priority will be to ensure we have the right footprint and strategies in place to drive sustainable growth and profitability for the benefit of our shareholders, employees, customers and other stakeholders”, said Beringause
Turner continued, “On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Ralph for his service and contributions to Dean Foods over the past five years. We appreciate his dedication to the Company and we wish him all the best in the future.”
Beringause brings to Dean Foods more than 30 years of transformational leadership and operational experience at a broad range of blue-chip brands in the food, beverage and consumer products industries, including expertise in food processing and branded and contract manufacturing. Most recently, he served as CEO of Gehl Foods, LLC, a market-leading producer of dairy-based beverages and food products. Prior to that, he served as CEO of Advanced Refreshment LLC, one of the largest U.S. producers of private-label bottled water and water-based beverages, and as CEO of Sturm Foods, Inc., a leader in private-label food products, specialty food brands and contract manufacturing. Earlier in his career, Beringause held various business development, finance, and sales and marketing roles at Alcoa Consumer Products, Gerber Infant & Baby Products, ConAgra, Inc./Grist Mill, Nestle, Inc., Nabisco Brands and The Pillsbury Company.