Fresh prepared food manufacturer Bakkavor has appointed industry veteran Peter Laport as president and CEO of Bakkavor USA. Joining the Charlotte, N.C.-based North American headquarters in late 2020, Peter brings a wealth of leadership experience to the position from previous roles in fresh food operations.
Bakkavor produces an extensive selection of fresh prepared foods, including more than 5,500 varieties of packaged meals, sandwiches, hummus/dips, pizza, and bread. With a focus on fresh, convenient and healthy foods, Bakkavor has a deep understanding of consumer food choices enabling them to provide innovative products across private label and branded products within key retailers and foodservice operators throughout the U.S.
"The next three to five years are about significant growth and innovation at Bakkavor USA,” said Laport. “I’m energized to build upon the momentum set by my U.S. predecessor and collaborate with Agust Gudmundsson in the U.K. to expand our reach, bring new product concepts to retail and foodservice customers, and reinforce Bakkavor as both a best-in-class global employer and provider of convenient farm-to-fork cuisine.”
Peter earned a degree in Engineering from Purdue University and a Master’s in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from The Johns Hopkins University – Carey Business School, where he serves as an Executive in Residence. For over 30 years, he has held management, operational and commercial roles at global food and beverage brands. Most recently Peter was Chief Supply Chain Officer/EVP for Revlon Inc. where he led the transformation of the global supply chain and manufacturing operations supporting 150 countries. Prior Peter held the role of Chief Operating Officer at fresh prepared salad producer Ready Pac Foods/ Bonduelle Fresh Americas, where Peter developed great insight into working with fresh foods. He also spent time at PepsiCo and Nestle and led the global supply chain for Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins ice cream.
"Bakkavor USA is in a good position, but I believe we have the opportunity to get better every single day by empowering and equipping our leaders at all levels of the business to drive us forward by executing at an extremely high standard,” added Laport. “We flawlessly balance premium with healthy convenience and I’m optimistic about our goals for identifying more geographies around the country for our fresh prepared meals.”
ABOUT BAKKAVOR USA
Bakkavor is a leading provider of premium fresh prepared food ("FPF") in the US servicing the nation’s largest retail and foodservice operators with an innovative and extensive product portfolio of high-quality, fresh, healthy, and convenient foods. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in the UK where today Bakkavor is #1 in market share within the four FPF product categories of meals, salads, desserts and pizza & bread. The company also operates an emerging international business in China. Today, Bakkavor has over 19,000 employees and operates 5 factories within the United States, 9 in China and 25 in the UK.
