Freshpet Appoints New COO
Freshpet, Inc. has named Nicki Baty chief operating officer. The longtime pet food exec joins the company’s leadership team and reports to CEO Billy Cyr.
Baty comes to the Secaucus, N.J.-based Freshpet from Colgate-Palmolive, where she most recently served as president and general manager of Hill’s Pet Nutrition U.S. She spent nearly 20 years at Colgate-Palmolive, moving up with roles of increasing responsibility. She started there in 2005 in customer data management and, before that, worked for Unilever for four years. She earned a degree in law and business from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.
[RELATED: Tyson Foods Announces New CFO]
“The team has built Freshpet into an incredible business, pioneering fresh pet food in the U.S. and transforming the category. Many households in the U.S. are now Freshpet shoppers and I believe there is terrific runway to scale the business,” said Baty.
Added Cyr: "Nicki brings us a proven track record of scaling a large business, a commitment to animal health and wellbeing, and broad international experience that will support our efforts to accomplish our goals. We are excited to welcome Nicki to the team to help take us to the next level as a multi-billion-dollar organization.”
Baty takes on the COO role from co-founder and President Scott Morris, who continues in both of those positions. He will focus on developing the future of the company’s product portfolio, working closely with Baty, Cyr and other leaders.
“I have been fortunate to work with Nicki over the past two years on industry initiatives. I am thrilled she is joining Freshpet. My entrepreneurial skills and Nicki’s demonstrated ability to build organizational capability are an unbeatable combination. Working together as part of the talented team we have developed will help Freshpet reach its full potential,” Morris remarked.
