Kraft Heinz appoints former Kellanova executive Nico Amaya to head North America operations

USA – Kraft Heinz has appointed Nico Amaya, a former senior executive at Kellanova, as president of its North America division, marking the first major leadership change since Steve Cahillane assumed the role of chief executive.

Amaya will take up the position next week, succeeding Pedro Navio, after spending close to 20 years at Kellogg and later at Kellanova, where he worked alongside Cahillane for eight years.

Cahillane, who joined Kraft Heinz last month after leading Kellogg and subsequently Kellanova, said Amaya’s background in managing commercial operations across competitive markets informed the decision to place him in charge of the company’s largest regional unit.

Separation strategy suspended

The appointment comes as Kraft Heinz reconsiders its previously announced plan to divide the company into two independent businesses, with Cahillane confirming that the proposal has been put on hold to prioritise operational execution.

In September, the group said it intended to create two standalone entities to improve focus and performance, but management has now decided to suspend the process and avoid further separation-related costs this year.

Cahillane said that after reviewing the business, he concluded that many of its operational issues could be addressed internally, shifting the emphasis toward restoring profitable growth rather than restructuring the organization.

To support that objective, Kraft Heinz plans to invest US$600m across marketing, sales, research and development, product improvements, and selected pricing actions to strengthen its North America operations.

Annual results

The strategic shift was outlined alongside the company’s full-year financial results, which showed lower sales and gross profit and a net loss of nearly US$6bn, largely driven by more than US$6bn in goodwill impairment charges.

Fourth-quarter revenue also declined compared with the same period a year earlier, although the company reported operating income and net profit, with net income lower than in the final three months of 2024.

Cahillane previously oversaw the 2023 separation of Kellogg into Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co., which were later acquired by Mars and Ferrero, respectively, and he now faces the task of improving Kraft Heinz’s performance without proceeding with a similar break-up.

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