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Keurig Dr Pepper has enlisted Tyson Foods dealmaker who's steeped in plant-based world to newly created post of chief strategy officer. Justin Whitmore, who most recently served as evp for alternative protein at meat giant, comes on board Mar 1 as member of exec leadership team reporting to chmn/ceo Bob Gamgort. He'll "lead enterprise strategy work, including mergers and acquisitions, and corporate partnerships," KDP said. Rated by Black Enterprise Mag as among 300 most powerful execs in corporate America, Justin brings further diversity to KDP brain trust, too. The former football player at Univ of Alabama Birmingham had moved briskly thru roles at Johnson Controls, then McKinsey and Booz (now Strategy&) consultancies before landing at Tyson in 2017, starting as chief sustainability officer, then broadening that role months later to include corporate strategy and venture involvements as an evp. "Under his leadership, Tyson became the first protein company to set science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets while expanding its global reach and accelerating its venture investments," per Tyson website. He was assigned to role as evp for alternative protein in May 2019. Vitamin Energy Recruits Longtime 5-Hour Sales Boss Meguiar Vitamin Energy, which has been coming on strong in shot category long dominated by 5-Hour with its promise of added functionality layered atop core energy lift (BBI, Jun 8), seems to be sending signal of its intent with recruitment of longtime 5-Hour sales exec Rise Meguiar to new post of prexy of sales. She joins team that includes sales svp Larry Greenway and sales vp Jay Byrd that's been rapidly opening new retail banners and adding production capacity, in segment that for a long time seemed to be closed to meaningful new entrants. After cutting her teeth at Burns Philp and Farley Candy, Meguiar had served as sales prexy for 5-Hour marketer Living Essentials from its earliest days, starting in 2000 and departing in 2019. Move offers her a chance to "work again in the CPG energy shot category," she said in statement, taking poke at former employer with: "Vitamin Energy is bringing innovation and functionality to the energy shot category which has been needed for quite some time." In fairness, Living Essentials itself has lately juiced its innovation activities as it seeks to get growing again, including with launch of first canned line (BBI, Dec 16).Next Frontier Adds Wine & Spirits Vet Ferreira to Run Bevs Next Frontier Brands, Boulder, Colo-based cannabiz that's been rapidly broadening its purview to include range of alc and non-alc bevs, has named wine & spirits vet Seymour Ferreira as ceo for global bevs. He comes from 7-year run managing portfolio of 200+ spirits, sparkling liqueurs, RTD and specialty bev brands at Luxembourg-based Amber Beverage Group, helping expand reach of brands like Muskovskaya Vodka, Rooster Rojo tequila and Cosmopolitan Diva sparkling wine from Baltics to Mexico, UK, Australia and dozens of other markets. Next Frontier Brands, recently renamed from Hempyre, has been building out extensive non-infused bev portfolio, including alc and non-alc spirits and NA bevs such as recently acquired KonaRed coffee brand (BBI, Sep 2 and Feb 2). Ferreira will work alongside cofounder and chief strategy officer Jason Roth, who'd come over from merger partner Mile High Labs. It's not immediately clear whether Ferreira's recruitment affects contours of role of Next Frontier ceo Shannon Soqui.Kill Cliff Elevates Prexy Timar to CEO John Timar, who stepped in to revitalize functional Kill Cliff brand that had seemed adrift in recent years, has been rewarded with elevation to ceo. Like Kill Cliff founder Todd Ehrlich, Timar is a former Navy Seal who as prexy pushed forward with CBD move that made Joe Rogan-themed Flaming Joe entry a top-selling CBD bev while streamlining portfolio, recruiting entertainment vet John Brenkus to stoke in-house marketing efforts and building subscription base to nearly 45% of revenues, per co's announcement. Timar had come to co in early 2018 as chief sales officer. "He is a true representation of the Navy Seal values, exhibiting character, leadership and an unshakable commitment to mission success that will allow Kill Cliff to grow beyond anyone's expectations," enthused board member and key investor Steve Hughes, cofounder of Sunrise Strategic Partners.

PEOPLE: KDP Recruits Tyson Venturing Vet Whitmore as Strategy Chief; Vitamin Energy Brings on Longtime 5-Hour Exec Meguiar to Run Sales; Next Frontier Names Wine & Spirits Vet Ferreira as Bevs Leader; Kill Cliff Elevates Timar to CEO

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