Ferrero Group, a global sweet-packaged foods leader, announced the appointment of Alanna Cotton as President and Chief Business Officer of Ferrero North America. Cotton will be responsible for Ferrero’s business in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean, building upon its growing footprint and capabilities for iconic brands like Kinder, Butterfinger, Nutella and Tic Tac, and cookie favorites such as Keebler, Famous Amos, and Mother’s. She takes on the role effective September 1, 2022.
Cotton, who will report directly to Lapo Civiletti, CEO of Ferrero Group, joins the company to support Ferrero’s global business strategy of strengthening its position in the sweet packaged food category. Ferrero North America, an important growth driver for the company, is the fastest growing confectionery company in the market, experiencing double digit growth and guiding multiple brand turnarounds over the years. The company is also expanding its capabilities in North America, with a new Innovation Center with R&D Lab in the U.S. and a chocolate processing plant and Kinder Bueno line in Bloomington, Illinois. In addition, with support from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund, Ferrero is creating new jobs and automation at its Brantford, Ontario plant.
Cotton joins Ferrero most recently from The Coca-Cola Company where she was President of Operations for Central & Eastern Europe, serving as general manager for 26 diverse countries and over 150 brands. Prior to that, Cotton served as Senior Vice President and General Manager at Samsung Electronics America, where she led the high growth segments of the consumer technology markets, including personal computing, virtual reality, wearables, and mobile audio. She has also held executive positions at PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble where she can be credited with leading large-scale businesses and driving innovation and digital transformation across the organizations.
In addition, Cotton holds an MBA from Stanford University and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University.
Cotton replaces Todd Siwak, who has decided to return to private equity and is stepping down from his role as President and Chief Business Officer of Ferrero North America.
“I’m excited to join Ferrero North America and lead this incredible team and portfolio of beloved brands on its continued growth trajectory,” said Cotton. “The company’s global presence and rapid expansion on the continent is impressive and I’m thrilled to help move the business forward in this new chapter.”
