Julie Francis has been promoted to the newly created position of chief operating officer of Bloomington, Minnesota, USA-headquartered Schwan’s Company, while Brian Schiegg has been named as president of its Schwan’s Consumer Brands subsidiary. The announcement was made by CEO Dimitrios Smyrnios on February 8.
“As a company, we are truly fortunate to have both of these outstanding leaders on our team. Their extensive knowledge and expertise in the food industry, strong customer focus and outstanding leadership will help us strengthen our operations, bring elevated service to our customers, and achieve our growth objectives,” Smyrnios said.
Francis (pictured above), who has more than 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, joined Schwan’s in 2018 as president of Schwan’s Consumer Brands, a subsidiary that focuses on the sales and distribution of branded foods to retail grocery and club stores. During her time at this post, she has strengthened the company’s customer relationships and led the business to strong sales growth, significant market share gains and improved profitability.
In her new role as chief operating officer, Francis will continue to report to Smyrnios and serve on the company’s executive leadership team. She will lead the management teams for Schwan’s Company subsidiaries Schwan’s Consumer Brands, Schwan’s Food Service, Inc. and SFC Global Supply Chain, Inc., as well as other specific operational and shared services functions.
“Since joining our company, Julie’s deep industry and operational experience has helped deliver outstanding results for our business and customers,” Smyrnios said. “She is a values-based leader who possesses a great energy for achieving operational excellence, serving our customers, driving profitable growth and leading people. Julie’s passion for leading people and teams has had a positive impact on the business and our company’s culture. I am excited to see Julie take on this expanded role within Schwan’s.”
Schiegg has joined the company as president of Schwan’s Consumer Brands. He brings more than two decades of global experience in the consumer and packaged goods industry, most recently serving as chief operating officer and president of Ocean Spray International Services.
While at Ocean Spray Schiegg led all US sales, global business units, marketing, planning, manufacturing, global ingredients and supply chain operations. Earlier, he spent many years in leadership roles with Mars, Inc.
“Throughout his career, Brian has successfully delivered profitable growth across multiple geographies and categories, and I look forward to working closely with him as we continue our efforts to bring delicious foods to families everywhere and deliver the best service possible to our customers,” Francis said.
As president of Schwan’s Consumer Brands, he will be responsible for driving growth initiatives for many of the company’s popular frozen food brands, including Red Baron, Tony’s and Freschetta pizza, Mrs. Smith’s and Edwards desserts, and Bibigo, Pagoda, Minh and Kahiki Asian foods. He will also serve on Schwan’s Company’s executive leadership team and report to Francis.
