Global bakery manufacturer and ingredients distributor Dawn Foods has announced the promotion of Ahmet Hepdogan to SVP, supply chain and procurement, North America. In this expanded role, Hepdogan will oversee Dawn’s Distribution Services and Supply Chain while continuing to lead Procurement efforts in the region.

Hepdogan will report directly to John Schmitz, COO, Americas, and continue to serve on the North America Leadership Team. This promotion enables a more integrated approach to Dawn’s supply chain management and helps deliver greater value to customers.

“Ahmet is an extraordinary leader with a proven track record of driving value and placing our customers at the forefront of everything we do,” says 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 joining Dawn in 2022, Hepdogan has led the North American procurement team and has become a key representative of Dawn within the vendor community, the brand says. He has successfully enhanced Dawn’s strategic sourcing process and strengthened vendor partnerships to meet business goals.

Hepdogan has more than 20 years of experience leading procurement and supply chain organizations. Before Dawn, he 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 partnerships and improved supply chain processes, ]focusing on mutually beneficial relationships internally with cross functional partners and externally with customers and suppliers.

Related: Dawn Foods appoints new chief operating officer, Americas