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The Campbell’s Co. is bringing on a food industry veteran to lead its $5.3 billion meals & beverages division.

In a Jan. 22 press release, the Camden-based soups and snacks giant announced the appointment of Risa Cretella, effective at the start of February.

Cretella joined Campbell’s in March 2024 following the $2.7 billion Sovos Brands Inc. acquisition as a senior vice president and general manager of distinctive brands, a unit within meals & beverages.

With nearly 25 years in the food industry, Cretella has experience in general management, marketing and sales.

At Sovos Brands, she was executive vice president, general manager of Rao’s premium Italian foods for six years and helped it become a nearly $1 billion brand. During her final year at Sovos, Cretella took on the additional responsibilities of chief sales officer.

Prior to Sovos, Cretella spent five years at Parsippany-headquartered Pinnacle Foods in senior marketing roles, culminating in senior vice president of marketing of its frozen food business, including the $1 billion Birds Eye brand. Earlier in her career, Cretella spent more than a decade at The J.M. Smucker Co. in marketing and sales roles.

New starts

Campbell’s incoming President and Chief Executive Officer Mick Beekhuizen described Cretella as “a phenomenal and accomplished leader with a strong record of driving financial and marketplace growth.”

“Since joining Campbell’s, she has been instrumental in the successful integration of Sovos Brands, while continuing the momentum of the business. Risa’s proven ability to deliver business results and build high-performance teams makes her the right person to lead our Meals & Beverages division as we continue to transform and grow our categories,” he said.

Cretella succeeds Beekhuizen, who also begins his new roles Feb. 1. Campbell’s former leader, Marc Clouse, announced last month he was stepping down to become president of the Washington Commanders NFL franchise.

According to Campbell’s, Beekhuizen will be the 15th CEO in the company’s 155-year history. Since joining Campbell’s in 2019 as chief financial officer, Beekhuizen was then appointed in 2022 to lead meals and beverages. That unit commands more than half of the company’s annual net sales through brands like Prego, Pacific, V8 and Campbell.

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