Sysco, AIB International, Port of Oakland and more announce personnel changes

ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), UK
Cristina Melenchon joins as events manager, tasked with managing the FPC’s Fresh Awards as well as developing a new program of events, workshops and other activities for members. Previously, she served as events manager at a large magazine publishing house, where she organized various types of events in the rail industry, including awards, exhibitions, conferences and membership club events. Before that, she spent 15 years as a freelance marketing consultant in the events industry, and has worked with large corporate organizers and small entrepreneurial start-ups in the automotive, IT, containerization, energy, construction, horticulture and retail industries. And, Jenny Palmer was named membership manager, acting as a liaison with FPC members to support their business and develop new relationships across the fresh fruit, vegetable and cut flower sectors of the industry. Palmer began her career working as a florist. In 1997, she moved to a fast-moving consumer goods role in flowers, where she was responsible for procurement of cut flowers from British and international growers. Moving on, she worked as a specialist horticulture buyer at Waitrose & Partners, focusing on the development of peak event ranges across flowers, plants and value-added gift ranges. In 2004, she relocated to the Netherlands, and then to the United States, where she continued to work in commercial roles in the flower industry. Since returning to the UK in 2010, she has set up a consultancy in horticulture and worked in buying and sales for an online gardening retailer.

AIB International, Manhattan, Kan.
Valerie Olson, senior director, bakery consulting and food labeling, will step up to lead the association’s baking initiatives in North America and Latin America, after Brian Strouts, vice president of baking and food technical services, announced his retirement. Strouts started with AIB International in 1991 as head of research and technical services. Since then, he’s led a team of food and baking scientists to help AIB International’s clients problem solve, evaluate product quality, develop new products and train technical staff in bakeries. He was promoted to the vice president role in 2013, where he has spearheaded the development of several Baking Process Kill Step Calculators. Prior to joining AIB International, Strouts worked for 11 years for Entenmenn’s and Vista Bakery.