Dive Brief:
- Simply Good Foods announced the appointment of Joe Scalzo as its president and CEO, aiming to enhance profitability. Scalzo, who previously held the top executive role from 2017 to 2023, is taking over immediately, succeeding Geoff Tanner.
- Scalzo’s return brings a sense of familiarity and a vision for leading a modern nutritional snacking platform at the protein shake and snack maker.
Dive Insight:
The leadership change at Simply Good Foods comes at a time when the Atkins brand has experienced a decline in sales, while the Quest brand has shown some growth. Despite this, overall net sales for the company remained flat in the first quarter.
Notably, Simply Good Foods follows a trend of food companies rehiring former CEOs, such as Boston Beer and Hormel. Scalzo’s past contributions to the company, including taking it public and acquiring Quest Nutrition for $1 billion, have been recognized for creating substantial value.
Scalzo expressed confidence in the company’s mission to lead in innovation and product quality, emphasizing the platform’s potential in the nutritional snacking landscape. He will also join the company’s board of directors at the upcoming annual meeting.