Dawn Foods Names SVP, Supply Chain & Procurement for North America
Global bakery manufacturer and ingredient distributor Dawn Foods has promoted Ahmet Hepdogan to SVP, supply chain and procurement, North America. In this new, expanded role, Hepdogan will oversee Dawn’s distribution services and supply chain while continuing to lead the region’s procurement efforts.
Hepdogan will report directly to John Schmitz, the recently appointed COO, Americas, and remain on the North America leadership team. According to the company, Hepdogan’s promotion enables a more integrated approach to supply chain management and will help deliver greater value to customers.
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“Ahmet is an extraordinary leader with a proven track record of driving value and placing our customers at the forefront of everything we do,” noted Schmitz. “His well-deserved reputation for excellence inspires confidence that he will continue to advance our business objectives, strengthen our partnerships with suppliers and elevate our customer service to new heights.”
Since he joined Dawn in 2022, Hepdogan has led the North American procurement team and become a key company representative within the vendor community. He has enhanced Dawn’s strategic sourcing process and bolstered vendor partnerships to meet business goals.
Hepdogan brings to his latest role more than 20 years of experience leading procurement and supply chain organizations. He previously held key leadership positions at Ferrera, ARYZTA, U.S. Foods and C.H. Robinson. As chief procurement officer at Ferrera and SVP of procurement at ARYZTA, he developed fruitful partnerships and improved supply chain processes, always focusing on mutually beneficial relationships internally with cross-functional partners, and externally with customers and suppliers.
Based in Jackson, Mich., Dawn Foods partners with more than 50,000 artisanal and retail bakers, foodservice leaders and manufacturers in more than 100 countries and has nearly 4,000 employees worldwide.