GMA to Rebrand as Consumer Brands Association

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) will become the Consumer Brands Association (CBA), effective January 2020. The new name is part of a comprehensive revamp of the 110-year old trade organization, spearheaded by President and CEO Geoff Freeman and the GMA board of directors.

“We represent an industry of iconic brands that are innovative, forward-looking and touch the lives of every American,” noted Freeman. “As the new Consumer Brands Association, we are making a game-changing shift to unite the totality of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry around a focused, proactive agenda that aligns with the values of the brands we represent and the consumers they serve.”

The group’s new advocacy agenda encompasses four core pillars: enhancing packaging sustainability, championing smart regulation, creating frictionless supply chains, and building trust in CPG, while also advancing a narrative about the industry’s wide-ranging social and economic impact.

“Renaming and rebranding this organization is symbolic of a larger realignment with the CPG industry’s consumer-first priorities and our desire to have a more open and transparent dialogue with policymakers, customers and consumers,” explained Jeff Harmening, the organization's chairman of the board, and CEO of Minneapolis-based General Mills. “I’m excited about this defining moment and the tremendous opportunities it presents to champion product innovation, choice and affordability.”

The group has already begun to put forward its strategic priorities. This past summer, it issued the industry’s first-ever economic study, which found that the CPG industry supports more than 20 million American jobs and contributes $2 trillion to the country’s GDP.

Freeman has also formed a new leadership team to drive the new agenda: Bryan Zumwalt, EVP of public affairs; Dr. Betsy Booren, SVP of regulatory and technical affairs; Stacy Papadopoulos, general counsel and SVP of operations and special initiatives; Brandon Partridge, SVP of member engagement; Mike Gruber, VP of federal affairs; Tom Madrecki, VP of supply chain and logistics; Katie McBreen, VP of communications and research; Bill Pappas, VP of accounting and finance; and Meghan Stasz, VP of packaging and sustainability.

The Arlington, Va.-based association will continue to be known as the Grocery Manufacturers Association through the end of the year.