People on the move: Metagenics, OmniActive, Nutrasource, and more
Persona gets a new CFO, Valorie Norwood
Persona, formerly known as Vitamin Packs, appointed Valorie Norwood as its chief financial officer (CFO).
As CFO, Norwood will be responsible for managing Persona’s accounting, business operations and pricing, financial planning and analysis, financial reporting, internal audit, payroll, procurement, tax and treasury functions.
“Persona has grown significantly during the past two years, and we only expect that growth to continue and advance rapidly,” said Jason Brown, founder and CEO, Persona. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Valorie in the past and recognize that she’s a strong team leader and communicator who highly values personal and business integrity.”
Prior to joining Persona, Norwood led revenue accounting and operations for Intermedia, a privately held supplier of cloud business services. Norwood earned her MBA from the University of Phoenix and is a certified public account (CPA) in the State of Washington.
“Persona is a revolutionary company in the personalized nutrition arena. Its attention to technology and personalization will propel its financial growth,” said Norwood.
OmniActive new CFO Vikas Jalan, and new VP of global marketing Arti Shah
OmniActive Health Technologies recently hired Vikas Jalan as Chief Financial Officer and Arti Shah as VP of Global Marketing.
Vikas is a seasoned professional with diverse experience with global companies in India, the US, China and the Philippines. Vikas will report to Sanjaya Mariwala, Managing Director, OmniActive, and will oversee and lead all finance, accounting, legal & compliance, banking and investor relation functions. Vikas most recently served as senior general manager, finance, at Lupin Limited and previously held finance positions at General Motors International Operations, The World Bank Group, and GENPACT.
Arti Shah will be responsible for all marketing initiatives for both the Nutritional Innovations & Solutions (NIS) and Specialty Botanicals & Extracts (SBE) segments of OmniActive. Reporting to Johan Kamphuis, President, Global Business, OmniActive, Arti will manage the NIS and SBE marketing teams, as well as all category and brand managers. Arti’s was previously the Director of Marketing, Foodservice, with Kerry as well as had marketing roles at The Food Group, French’s Food Company, and Reckitt Benckiser Group.
Dr. Douglas Kalman joins Nutrasource as VP of Scientific Affairs
Canada-based contract research organization (CRO) Nutrasource Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Services has hired Dr. Douglas Kalman, Ph.D., R.D., as Vice President of Scientific Affairs.
The addition of Dr. Kalman to the Nutrasource team further expands the company’s U.S. presence to now include a team of over 30 doctoral and masters level scientists. As Vice President of Scientific Affairs, Dr. Kalman will lead the scientists in applying their specialized expertise in a wide range of regulatory and scientific areas.
A well-known figure in the global health and nutrition sector, Dr. Kalman brings over 25 years of experience in sports nutrition and clinical research to help clients commercialize their innovations.
Dr. Kalman has been involved in over 100 clinical trials within the pharmaceutical, nutrition and medical device industries. He has published numerous papers in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, helping to advance the understanding of applied nutrition.
In this role, Dr. Kalman will assist Nutrasource clients with their clinical research and development programs, regulatory needs, and claims substantiation strategies. In addition, Dr. Kalman will help sponsors fully develop intellectual property surrounding product development and ideation.
“Dr. Kalman shares our customer-centric values in designing clinical and regulatory programs for the most aggressive, yet still defendable, claims,” said William Rowe, President and CEO of Nutrasource.
“I am confident we will help elevate the industry through smartly designed and efficiently executed studies, enhanced analytical offerings, and more,” said Dr. Kalman.
New scientific advisors for Nellson: Dr. Hector Lopez, Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss, and Tim Avila
Nellson, LLC (Nellson), a North American formulator and manufacturer of branded and private label nutritional bar and functional powder solutions, will collaborate with Dr. Hector Lopez along with strategic partners Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss and Tim Avila, as Nellson’s scientific advisors and work to support the Nellson Commercial Development team.
“We are very pleased to have recognized key opinion leaders such as Dr. Lopez, Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss, and Tim Avila join the Nellson team,” said Jamie Better, Chief Executive Officer of Nellson. “Their unique insight and expertise in our industry will provide tremendous value to both the Nellson team and our Brand partners…Under Dr. Lopez’s and his partners’ leadership, we believe our Scientific Advisory alliance will take us to the next level of customer support and success.”
Dr. Lopez and the Scientific Advisory’s thought leadership will augment Nellson’s technical expertise in product development and formulation, and will expand the company’s clinical R&D database on established and emerging ingredients in the dietary supplement and functional food industries.
“We believe one of the aspects that differentiates Nellson from our competitors is the investment we make in collaborating with our Brand partners to create new and unique products that fulfill the most complex on-trend requirements,” said Bart Child, Senior Vice President of Commercial Development.
“Dr. Lopez and the team of industry experts have a deep and broad knowledge base in functional ingredients, as well as macronutrients like proteins, fibers, and sugars. They will provide our Brand partners third-party validation on nutritional benefit claims, as well as insight into the science behind bioactive ingredients and how they best can be used to create functional products that consumers want. This is a great opportunity for our company and our customers, and we are excited to have these experts as an extension of the Nellson team, ensuring we continue to successfully create new and improved functional powder solutions and nutritional bars that consumers will embrace.”
Dr. Sara Gottfried, new Chief Medical Officer for Metagenics
Practitioner-channel dietary supplement company Metagenics, Inc., has hired Sara Gottfried, MD as its new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and President of Metagenics Institute, the company’s educational arm. A systems-based hormone expert, Dr. Gottfried is a Harvard-educated physician-scientist and an MIT-trained bioengineer as well as board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
In her new role at Metagenics, Dr. Gottfried will drive overall education and practitioner outreach strategy and provide insights on emerging areas of clinical interest. She will be a part of the company’s global leadership team, supporting further international expansion, and engage and drive support with industry key opinion leaders around the world.
Dr. Gottfried is a New York Times best-selling author of three books: The Hormone Cure, The Hormone Reset Diet, and Younger. She is also the founder and CMO of the Gottfried Institute, where she has taught healthcare professionals – including medical, naturopathic, osteopathic and chiropractic physicians, as well as acupuncturists, nutritionists and health coaches – methods focused on rebalancing hormones and advancing healthspan of their clients using her proprietary and evidence-based 3-Step Gottfried Protocol.
Previously, Dr. Gottfried has taught on the adjunct faculty at the University of California at San Francisco and Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine and performed clinical research at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in bioinformatics and breast cancer risk reduction.
“We are fortunate to have a Chief Medical Officer of Dr. Gottfried’s caliber and experience step in to lead our education,” said Brent Eck, Metagenics CEO. “As a Functional Medicine practitioner, she has firsthand experience in how making lifestyle changes can help patients reclaim their lives. We’re excited for her to bring her knowledge and experience to Metagenics as we enter our next chapter of lifestyle education.”
“The opportunity to help Metagenics in its mission to drive a fundamental shift in healthcare, here in the United States and around the world, captured my attention in a profound way,” said Dr. Gottfried.
HORN’s Pat Marantette retires after 43 years
Patrick Marantette, director and board member of ingredients distributor HORN, retired in August 2018 after 43 years of dedication to the company and its industries.
Marantette held various leadership roles at HORN after joining its sales team in 1975. He was instrumental in establishing the Food and Nutraceuticals Ingredients Group at HORN in 1978 and was named president after the company became an employee-owned business.
While Marantette was president, HORN went through major changes and experienced great success due in part of his leadership. Marantette continued to advise the next generation of leaders at HORN as director and board member of the company until his retirement and the acquisition of HORN by IMCD.
Marantette’s reputation and leadership extends far beyond his influence at HORN. He was a longtime supporter of National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), where he once served as chairman. He held a prominent role in supporting the industry and was a staunch advocate for responsible distribution. Under his leadership, HORN was named Outstanding Distributor of the Year and he went on to achieve the prestigious Vanguard Award for service to the Chemical Education Foundation.
Outside of his business accolades, Marantette played a significant role in the development of You Be The Chemist Challenge in California, which is an interactive academic contest that encourages students, grades 5 to 8, to explore chemistry and its real world applications. He and his wife, Linda also regularly volunteer their time to serve the elderly and underprivileged.
