Dawn Foods appoints new chief operating officer, Americas

COO John Schmitz will oversee Dawn's N. America business plus Latin America.

COO John Schmitz. Courtesy of Dawn Foods

Global bakery manufacturer and ingredients distributor Dawn Foods has announced the promotion of John Schmitz to the newly created position of chief operating officer, Americas. In this role, Schmitz will continue to oversee Dawn’s North America business while also taking on strategic accountability for Latin America. Schmitz will continue to serve on Dawn's leadership team and report directly to Chief Executive Officer Carrie Jones-Barber. Schmitz’s new role positions the company to accelerate growth, expand its market presence, and continue its commitment to excellence in the baking industry.

“John has been a driving force behind Dawn’s success in North America, demonstrating exceptional leadership and a clear strategic vision,” says Jones-Barber. “He has built a strong leadership team, delivered outstanding results, and helped position us for long-term success. I am confident that his expertise and experience working throughout Mexico and Latin America will drive us to even greater success as he steps into this new role.”

“Dawn has an incredible legacy of leadership in the baking industry, and I look forward to continuing to build on our strong foundation,” says John Schmitz, chief operating officer, Americas, Dawn Foods. “Our Latin America business and team are exceptionally strong, and by fostering even closer collaboration between North America and Latin America, we will enhance our ability to serve our customers and deliver even greater value across both regions.”

Emilio Castillo will continue to serve as president of Latin America, where his leadership has driven the region to its most successful year in the company’s history. His strategic vision and dedication have been instrumental to Dawn’s success, the brand says. Castillo will continue to lead the Latin America business unit, manage its leadership team and be responsible for day-to-day operations for the region, reporting to Schmitz. Both Schmitz and Castillo will continue to serve on the Dawn Leadership Team, ensuring their insights continue to guide Dawn’s overall strategy and regional execution.

With almost 30 years of experience in the food and beverage and retail sectors, Schmitz has an impressive track record of creating enterprise value and achieving business results globally. Schmitz joined Dawn in 2020 as president of North America. In that role, he oversaw the strategic direction for the region and business results of the North America ingredients business, focusing on product development and driving nationwide technology projects.

Prior to joining Dawn, Schmitz served as vice president, general manager of Land O’Lakes’ International Business, where he oversaw the overall P&L and growth responsibility for the company’s business platforms in Europe, Africa and Latin America for 12 years. During his tenure, Schmitz helped establish the company as a global enterprise with business operations in Canada, Mexico, South Africa, and Kenya.

Schmitz has a Master of Business Administration from The Tuck School of Business – Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Minnesota.

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