HANOVER, PA — Utz Brands, a US salty snacks manufacturer, appointed William J. Kelley Jr. (Bill) to EVP, CFO and principal accounting officer. He succeeds Ajay Kataria, who will step down from the roles on May 1.

“I have long admired the Utz brand and the tremendous momentum it has captured behind its geographic expansion,” Kelley said. “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at such an exciting time and look forward to partnering with Howard and the broader leadership team to drive continued growth and value for shareholders.”

Kelley most recently served as global CFO at Tropicana Brands Group, Inc. Upon his start at Utz, he will work closely with Kataria to ensure a seamless transition through May 31 and will report to Howard Friedman, CEO of Utz.

“Bill brings deep financial expertise and operational experience across some of the most respected names in food and beverage,” Friedman said. “We are excited to welcome him to Utz as we continue executing on our long-term growth strategy. I want to extend our gratitude to Ajay for his leadership and impact over the past eight years, the last four as CFO. His contributions were many, including as part of our public listing in 2020, multiple acquisitions and integrations, as well as a major ERP installation; all were instrumental in building our financial foundation. We wish Ajay all the best.”

Utz also announced Mark Schreiber, EVP, sales and chief customer officer, will retire effective May 31 and will be succeeded by Jeremy Stuart, current senior VP, large format.

“Jeremy’s deep understanding of the customer landscape and operational focus make him the ideal leader to build on Mark’s legacy and take our customer partnerships to the next level,” Friedman added.