Rich Products has hired Yexi Liu as its new chief information officer (CIO). He replaces Paul Klein, who will retire from the Buffalo, New York-headquartered company at the end of this year. In his new role, Liu also will serve as a member of Rich’s executive leadership team.
Originally from Chengdu, Sichuan province in southwest China, Liu has served in numerous global IT leadership roles based in markets across Asia, Latin America and Europe for both SPX Corporation and Ingersoll Rand. Most recently, he was Global CIO for Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this role, Liu led the development of the company’s long-term technology strategy and governance model in support of its commercial effectiveness, supply chain priorities and overall business transformation. He focused the IT team’s efforts around the delivery of new digital workplace technology to boost workforce engagement and global collaboration.
“As we searched for a new CIO, our goal was to find a seasoned IT leader with a strong global perspective. Yexi’s resume speaks for itself, but on top of that, his values align with Rich’s pioneering spirit and family culture,” said Richard Ferranti, president and chief operating officer, Rich Products.
Liu’s appointment comes at an exciting time for Rich’s Information Services (IS) team. The company recently completed a full re-design of its corporate IS space to feature state-of-the-art technology and forward-thinking functionality for optimized efficiency and productivity. In his first few months on the job, Liu will work with the IS team to analyze how technology – both existing tools and new trends – can improve engagement with customers and associates in support of Rich’s continuing digital transformation.
Liu is based at Rich’s world headquarters in Buffalo, but he and the IS team support business locations and operations around the globe. The family-owned company, which generated sales exceeding $4 billion last year, is a major supplier of frozen food products to international foodservice and retail markets. Its wide range of offerings includes cakes, breads, rolls and other baked goods, desserts, toppings and icings, pizza, appetizers, snacks, value-added shrimp and other seafood.
