PROVIDENCE, RI - It was only a few months ago that United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) announced the promotion of Mark Bushway to Chief Supply Chain Officer. Now, the distributor is continuing its string of leadership appointments by filling the vacancy left by Bushway and appointing Chris Finck as its new President, Atlantic Region. Effective May 1, Finck will lead the Atlantic Region sales team to support customers with UNFI’s full portfolio of products and services.

Finck is an industry expert with 34 years of experience in commercial, sales, marketing, operations, and general management. During the past five years, he has served as Chief Commercial Officer for Dean Foods and Chief Customer Officer for Treehouse Foods, playing a vital leadership role in broker network and contract management, go-to-market organization, and improving customer profitability. Before working with Treehouse Foods, Finck also spent time as Chief Customer Officer for Grupo Bimbo and Senior Vice President of Sales, Bakery Division for Sara Lee, according to a press release.

Prior to his work with the Grupo Bimbo team, Finck spent nearly two decades with PepsiCo, where he held positions of increasing responsibility, such as Account Manager, Regional Sales Manager, and Market Development Manager for Pepsi Beverages. He also worked as Director of Strategic Planning and Integration for Quaker Oats, as well as Vice President of U.S. Sales for Gatorade.

Finck holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Towson University and an MBA from Loyola College, in addition to serving on the Mayor’s Advisory Board for the city of Naperville, Illinois. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Little Friends, which provides services to those with autism and other developmental disabilities, and previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Downtown Naperville Alliance.

In his new role, Finck will report to Chief Customer Officer Steve Dietz.

“Chris is a well-rounded, highly passionate, and results-driven leader with a strong track record for building effective teams and delivering strategic sales capabilities,” commented Dietz. “With his leadership background and significant experience in the food industry, Chris understands the challenges facing today’s marketplace and, along with the Atlantic Region team, will provide innovative and meaningful solutions that help our customers grow and succeed.”

The ANUK team sends huge congratulations to Chris Finck on his new role as President, and we will continue to report on the distributor’s future growth.

United Natural Foods, Inc.