About Sovos Brands

The Sovos Brands Way

Delicious food for joyful living.

We’re dedicated to bringing today’s consumers simple, great-tasting food that fits the way they live. We invest in unique brands that have exciting growth potential, combining industry expertise with fresh thinking to bring our products into more homes across America.

High-quality brands

We choose brands with authenticity at their core, providing consumers food experiences that are genuine, honest, and unforgettable. We tell the richer story behind the brands, creating delicious food with minimal ingredients and maximum consumer impact.

Products that people love.

We stay on the pulse of market trends, working tirelessly to create the kind of food that excites consumers – whether they’re on the go or making dinner at home. Our products are simple and tasty, and people love them.

Passionate for our people.

We put people at the center of all we do. We empower teams to be nimble, giving them the strength and flexibility to connect with customers, engage with employees, and drive brand growth.

Our guiding principles.

These pillars are the core of how we work. They separate us from the pack, inspire excellence, and remind us to have some fun along the way.

Lead with Courage
and Tenacity

Focus on Quality

Obsess with the
Front Line

Communicate with
Candor and Respect

Be Nimble

Enjoy the Ride

Meet the team.

Leadership

Our team of senior leaders has built brands and businesses at some of the best CPG companies.

Todd Lachman,

Founder, President & CEO
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Lisa O'Driscoll,

Chief Administrative Officer
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Chris Hall,

Chief Financial Officer
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E. Yuri Hermida,

Chief Growth Officer
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Risa Cretella,

Chief Sales Officer
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Kirk Jensen,

Chief Operating Officer
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Isobel Jones,

Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
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Wendy Behr,

Chief R&D Officer
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Katie Gvazdinskas,

Chief Human Resources Officer
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Tom Lee,

SVP, Mergers, Acquisitions & Strategy
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Dane Trotzig,

SVP, IT
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Joe Sklenar,

SVP, Corporate Controller
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Lance Byers,

SVP, Manufacturing and Logistics
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Magdalena Aragon,

SVP Procurement & External Manufacturing
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Board of Directors

William R. Johnson,

Chairman
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Todd Lachman,

Founder, President & CEO
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Jeff Case,

Board Member
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David Roberts,

Board Member
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Valarie L. Sheppard,

Board Member
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Rob Graves,

Board Member
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Mala Singh,

Board Member
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Neha Mathur,

Board Member
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Tamer Abuaita,

Board Member
Read More

Meet the team.

Leadership

Our team of senior leaders has built brands and businesses at some of the best CPG companies.

Todd Lachman,

Founder, President & CEO

Read More

Lisa O'Driscoll,

Chief Administrative Officer

Read More

Chris Hall,

Chief Financial Officer

Read More

E. Yuri Hermida,

Chief Growth Officer

Read More

Risa Cretella,

Chief Sales Officer

Read More

Kirk Jensen,

Chief Operating Officer

Read More

Isobel Jones,

Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel

Read More

Wendy Behr,

Chief R&D Officer

Read More

Katie Gvazdinskas,

Chief Human Resources Officer

Read More

Tom Lee,

SVP, Mergers, Acquisitions & Strategy

Read More

Dane Trotzig,

SVP, IT

Read More

Joe Sklenar,

SVP, Corporate Controller

Read More

Lance Byers,

SVP, Manufacturing and Logistics

Read More

Magdalena Aragon,

SVP Procurement & External Manufacturing

Read More

Board of Directors

William Johnson,

Chairman

Read More

Todd Lachman,

Founder, President & CEO

Read More

Jeff Case,

Board Member

Read More

David Roberts,

Board Member

Read More

Valarie L. Sheppard,

Board Member

Read More

Rob Graves,

Board Member

Read More

Mala Singh,

Board Member

Read More

Neha Mathur,

Board Member

Read More

Tamer Abuaita,

Board Member

Read More

Drop us a line.

Interested in learning more? We’d love to hear from you.
Say Hello

© 2018-2021 SOVOS BRANDS

Todd Lachman

Todd Lachman

Todd is the Founder, President and CEO of Sovos Brands.

For 25 years, he’s delivered growth and value creation for some of the biggest names in CPG, working as Global President of Mars Petcare, President of Mars Chocolate North America and Latin America, and Executive Vice President of Del Monte Foods Company. He also held a senior management role at H.J. Heinz Company after moving up the marketing ranks at Procter & Gamble.

Along with his professional experience, he’s an active board member with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area. And when he’s not transforming brands, you’ll probably find him out skiing, cycling or hiking with his family (and two dogs).

Favorite food memory: I was about eight years old, sitting in the back of the family station wagon, the kind where you’re facing out the back window of the car. We were on the way to my cousins’ house after Thanksgiving dinner. My cousin Mike was sitting next to me, and next to us were all the leftover pies. Mike and I looked at the pies, looked at each other, shrugged, and proceeded to eat an entire pumpkin pie during that car ride back to the house. We got in big trouble, but it was worth every bite.

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Lisa O'Driscoll

Lisa O’Driscoll is the Chief Administrative Officer at Sovos Brands.

Before joining Sovos Brands, Lisa spent 20 years working for global consulting organizations providing M&A advisory services with an expertise in leadership, culture and change management, with extensive experience in acquisition integration. She is passionate about global health and education, and is currently on the board of Educate Girls.

Favorite food memory: Almost every morning growing up, I would wake up to the smell of fresh banana bread baking. Still warm, my mom would smear a thick layer of peanut butter on it. That joy of that first bite, and the second bite, along with the love that went into making it, is a memory that has stayed with me my whole life.

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Chris Hall

Chris Hall is the Chief Financial Officer at Sovos Brands.

Prior to joining Sovos Brands, he was CFO at Woodbolt Distribution LLC (Nutrabolt), the largest independent sport supplement company in North America.

Before that, he was at PepsiCo Inc. for more than 20 years in various financial leadership positions. Chris has served on several non-profit boards, including March of Dimes of Illinois and United Way of Dallas.

Favorite food memory: Growing up in suburban Ohio, my family lived near my Sicilian grandmother who came to the U.S. as a child. It was a thrill every Sunday afternoon to visit her and my grandfather and be treated to an authentic Italian meal, typically spaghetti with meatballs. The smell of her cooking filled the small home, an aroma I still lovingly recall today. Thank you Grandma for bringing a sense of the old world to the Midwest.

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E. Yuri Hermida

Yuri brings over 25 years of international leadership experience to Sovos Brands, having previously served as Executive Vice President for Reckitt.

Yuri spent nearly 4 years at Reckitt in Europe and North America driving growth, building strategic partnerships, and managing Reckitt’s portfolio of brands for the Business Units he led. Prior to joining Reckitt, Yuri worked at Procter and Gamble for more than 20 years in a multitude of leadership roles across several geographies in Latin America, Asia and North America.

Favorite Food Memory: I was born and raised in Mexico City, a city with a heartbeat for food. My favorite food memory has to involve being at family get togethers as a young child, just enjoying Grandma’s delicious home cooking.

Risa Cretella

Risa is the Chief Sales Officer at Sovos Brands.

Prior to joining Sovos Brands, she spent five years at Pinnacle Foods as Senior VP of Marketing for Frozen Leadership Brands and VP of Marketing for Birds Eye Frozen Vegetables.

She was also a founding member of Pinnacle’s “WISE” (Women Inspiring Success & Empowerment), a development & mentoring program for women in sales and marketing. Her other experience includes 11 years with The J.M Smucker company, working on a range of marketing, managing and directorial roles.

Favorite food memory: Growing up, my family’s first home was a little duplex on the south side of Chicago. As soon as those famous Michigan cherries appeared in grocery stores in mid-June, my dad would buy a bunch. The two of us would sit out on the side stoop and see how far we could spit cherry pits into the neighbor’s driveway. This memory is imprinted in my memory back to the age of 4. My dad taught me lots of things in the yard of that first house – including how to hit a baseball – but my fondest memory is learning how to spit cherry pits.

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Kirk Jensen

Kirk Jensen

Kirk Jensen is the Chief Operating Officer at Sovos Brands.

Prior to joining Sovos Brands, Kirk was Chief Supply Chain Officer at Snyder’s-Lance, SVP of Manufacturing at Diamond Foods (where he was also Senior Director of US Operations for the Kettle Brand), and an engineer at Frito Lay.

Favorite food memory: Growing up in Southern Oregon provided countless weekend BBQs with family and friends at our home in Klamath Falls.  My dad was the grill master, with others playfully challenging his skills.  While awaiting perfect BBQ chicken or steak, we would gather around the basketball court, horse shoe pit, driving range, or a race around the property on the ATV.  The friendly competition and bonding conversations have provided a lifetime of special memories for all of us.

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Isobel Jones

Isobel is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Sovos Brands.

Isobel has advised public and private companies and boards across a range of industries, most recently as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Sun Basket, an e-commerce startup. Prior to Sun Basket, she was General Counsel at a number of food and beverage companies including Diamond Foods, Annie’s Homegrown, and Peet’s Coffee and Tea.

Isobel lives in San Francisco with her husband and son. When she isn’t busy lawyering, she is a volunteer instructor at the Pirate Festival’s Anne Bonney and Jack Rackham School of Piracy, and at other historical re-enactment fairs.

Favorite food memory: For over 40 years the “English Gang” has gathered at the beach on New Year’s Day, rain or shine. When my parents moved to the U.S. from England in the 60s, they befriended other expatriates — whose children are my friends and cousins — and whose children’s children are my son’s. The smell of ancient Coleman cooking stoves, bubbling chili, and pots of crab and sherry soup will always mean love, the start of a new year, and an extended family who mean everything to me.

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Wendy Behr

Wendy Behr is the Chief R&D Officer at Sovos Brands.

Wendy brings 30 years of experience in lead research and development roles at organizations including Keurig Dr Pepper, WhiteWave, Diageo, and Kraft Foods. Her experience spans across product and package R&D, corporate sustainability, quality & food safety, and global supply; and across numerous food and beverage categories and temperature states.

Favorite food memory: Sitting on top of kitchen counter, chopping onions and garlic with my mother and grandmother while learning how to make their secret recipes for lasagna and spaghetti with meatballs. I’m beginning to pass these and other family favorite recipes along to my children. There is no greater joy in my life as a mom than when my children ask me to teach them how to cook one of their favorite meals, and then seeing their pride when they serve the family meal.

Katie Gvazdinskas

Katie Gvazdinskas

Katie is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Sovos Brands. Prior to joining Sovos Brands, Katie spent 12 years at Crocs Footwear as the Vice President Global Talent Management & Total Rewards leading Human Resources with expertise in organizational development, compensation, talent management and leadership development.

Favorite food memory: Picking apples from our apple trees with our young daughters on a cool fall day. Our girls were so little, but did everything they could to get into those trees and get the best apples. Hundreds and hundreds of apples later, we made so much applesauce! Our daughters learned to peel, cut and season the applesauce to their liking. They were so proud of themselves, and applesauce was served with everything for weeks!

Tom Lee

Tom is Senior Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategy. Prior joining Sovos Brands, Tom spent 10 years in investment banking at J.P. Morgan where he advised packaged food companies on a wide range of capital markets and M&A transactions.

Favorite food memory: Growing up, dinner time in our household was sacred. No matter how hectic things got, we always sat at the dinner table as a family to eat. Every once in a while, we had Korean barbeque, which was one of my favorite meals. As we grilled delicious meats and vegetables, it gave us a chance to slow down, be together, and enjoy an unforgettable meal.

Dane Trotzig

Prior to joining Sovos Brands, Dane was Head of Global Corporate Technology at Ball Corporation where he led large scale global technology transformation initiatives. Before working at Ball, Dane consulted for both Accenture and Deloitte, implementing technology across multiple industries.

Favorite food memory: My favorite food memory brings me back to when I was a child. Growing up in Iowa meant being able to take advantage of the many food offerings of the mid-west. Beef was commonly on the menu year-round, and in the summers, we were able to enjoy sweet corn straight from the fields, and fresh walleye or bass caught at my grandparents’ lake house in Minnesota. What made this special was the meals always brought family and friends together to enjoy both the food and each other.

Joe Sklenar

Joe has a range of experience in various financial leadership positions. Prior to Sovos Brands, Joe was SVP of Finance, Accounting, and IT at Amplify Snack Brands. He also spent many years with WhiteWave Foods, acquired by Danone, as VP of Accounting where he lead the accounting integration for multiple acquisitions as well as the Danone/WhiteWave integration of the accounting organization. Joe brings a rich history of cross functional partnerships, providing strategic thought leadership to the finance organization.

Favorite food memory: My grandmothers homemade chicken noodle soup. Catherine was an immigrant from the former Czechoslovakia and made THE BEST homemade chicken soup with fresh hand-made noodles. Everyone in the family would watch her and record every ingredient and try to replicate it. We come close but cannot replicate that unique and memorable flavor that only a grandmother can do.

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Lance Byers

Lance Byers

With over 30 years of experience in the CPG industry, Lance has worked an array of supply chain positions throughout his career. Prior to Sovos Brands, Lance was Senior Director of Logistics at TreeHouse Foods where he successfully integrated eight acquisitions into a consolidated network supporting ~$6.5B in annualized gross sales. Prior to TreeHouse, Lance worked for larger CPG companies such as Keebler and Kellogg’s.

Favorite food memory: My favorite food memory takes me back to my childhood home. My mother was an avid cook well before cable channels were dedicated to cooking. She would watch Julia Child on PBS and then try to remake the meals. To her, this was an art and a way to express her love for the family. To us children, it was a chore which we were assigned to on a rotating basis. What I would give to have one more day in that kitchen at her side cooking, laughing, tasting, and learning lifelong lessons.
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Magdalena Aragon

Magdalena is the Senior Vice President of Procurement and External Manufacturing at Sovos Brands. Prior to this role, Magdalena was the Vice President of Procurement for Sovos Brands. Prior to joining Sovos Brands, Magdalena spent a collective seven years leading different areas of procurement at brands like Pinnacle Foods and Kraft Heinz Company.

Favorite Food Memory: I was born and raised in Mexico City. So much of our culture revolves around food and sitting at the table and sharing special moments and conversations. My favorite food “memory” is all the delicious food I grew up with and most importantly, how cooking and sharing meals can bring families and friends closer together.

William R. Johnson

William R. Johnson, “Bill,” is an operating partner with Advent International and serves as chairman on several of their boards, including Sovos Brands. He’s also the retired Chairman, President and CEO of H. J. Heinz, with a career spanning 31 years – and he was only the fifth Chairman in the company’s 144-year history. Along with his role at Sovos Brands, Bill is on the board of Dawn Holdings (the parent company of Serta Simmons Bedding) and his public company directorships include UPS and PepsiCo.

Todd Lachman

Todd Lachman

Todd is the Founder, President and CEO of Sovos Brands.

For 25 years, he’s delivered growth and value creation for some of the biggest names in CPG, working as Global President of Mars Petcare, President of Mars Chocolate North America and Latin America, and Executive Vice President of Del Monte Foods Company. He also held a senior management role at H.J. Heinz Company after moving up the marketing ranks at Procter & Gamble.

Along with his professional experience, he’s an active board member with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area. And when he’s not transforming brands, you’ll probably find him out skiing, cycling or hiking with his family (and two dogs).

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Jeff Case

Jeff Case joined Advent in 2001 as an Associate focusing on buyout and growth equity investments. Following business school, he rejoined Advent to specialize in investments in the consumer and retail sectors. He also has private equity experience in the business services, healthcare services, and industrial technology sectors. Prior to joining Advent, Jeff worked at Bowles Hollowell Conner/First Union, a leading middle market M&A investment bank. Other work experience includes transaction execution in the corporate development group of Danaher Corp.

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David Roberts

David Roberts joined Advent in 2012. Prior to joining Advent, David worked for the Quadrangle Group, a middle-market private equity fund that’s focused on investments in North America and Asia. Previously, he was at Bear Stearns in the Financial Sponsors Group in New York.

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Valarie L. Sheppard

Valarie Sheppard has served as treasurer, controller and executive vice president, company transition leader of The Procter & Gamble Company, a multinational consumer goods company, since April 2010. Previously, she served as senior vice president, treasurer, comptroller of The Procter & Gamble Company from October 2013 to April 2019. Prior to October 2013, Valarie held various management positions for The Procter & Gamble Company. She previously served as compensation committee chair on the board of directors of Anixter, Inc., a provider of business-to-business distribution logistics services and supply chain solutions, until it was sold in 2020.

Valarie earned her B.S. in accounting from Purdue University and her M.S. in industrial administration from the Purdue University Krannert School of Management.

Rob Graves

Rob Graves is a fourth generation dairy farmer and Co-Founder of noosa yoghurt. He grew up working on the farm and dairy before going to Colorado State University to study finance. After CSU, Rob went to Chicago to work as a commodity technical analyst and trader at Barnes & Co. He has over 25 years of experience with greenfield construction, process engineering and water resource development.

Mala Singh

Mala Singh serves as Chief People Officer for EA where she focuses on developing EA’s talent and cultivating the company culture. In this role, Mala oversees Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Facilities and Corporate Services.

Prior to this role, Mala spent three years as Chief People Officer at Minted where she helped to define the culture and grow the creative and technical teams during a high-growth period for the startup. Mala began her career in the pharmaceutical industry, serving in Human Resources roles in Asia, Europe and North America. She previously spent five years in various HR leadership roles at EA.

Neha Mathur

Neha Mathur

Neha Mathur joined Advent in 2016. Prior to joining Advent, Neha worked for McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm. Previously, she has also held roles at Bain Capital and Morgan Stanley.

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Tamer Abuaita

Tamer Abuaita currently serves as Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Stanley Black & Decker. He has nearly 30 years of experience leading global transformations, expansions, and post-acquisition integrations of supply chains and operations for multi-billion-dollar consumer goods organizations. Prior to joining Stanley Black & Decker, he held positions in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, holding roles of increasing responsibility across manufacturing, logistics, procurement, and strategy with Nestle, Heinz, Kraft Heinz, and SC Johnson.

Tamer earned his MBA from Vanderbilt University and bachelor’s degree in business from California Polytechnic State University.