Chobani appointed Kenneth Bishop to the role of senior vice president of international market development, and Tarkan Gürkan as CFO.
Bishop is tasked with developing strategies to promote global expansion, while Gürkan, who previously contributed to the company on an interim basis, is set to assist with financial matters. The executive will contribute more than 15 years of consumer goods and private equity experience. He previously worked for Facebook and Juul Labs.
“With Tarkan’s excellent financial experience and Ken’s knowledge of international markets, I am confident we have the right leadership team in place to continue building on the positive momentum we are currently seeing in the business,” Burns said in a statement.
Upon assuming their new roles, Bishop and Tarkan will report to Chobani’s president and chief operating officer, Kevin Burns, who recently returned to the company.
The appointments are one of Chobani’s efforts to expand on a global scale, and covers tasks left behind by recently departed executives.
The appointment follows recent successful launches in Australia, and significant expansion efforts in North America into Mexico and Canada.
“International expansion is a large opportunity and can be a meaningful growth driver across our entire product portfolio over the longer term,” the company stated. “In the near term, we expect to focus on North America and Australia — markets we know well and where we have competitive advantages.”
Chobani currently has existing manufacturing and distribution processes in the U.S. and Australia, as well as certain countries in Asia and Latin America. In total, the company’s international sales make up 10% of its total net sales in the last few years.
Chobani’s catalog includes its famous Greek yogurt, oat milk, cold brew coffee, and probiotic beverages, among other selections. The company recently confirmed plans to cease production for its recently launched ultra-filtered milk. The company also confirmed plans to pull its IPO to promote further growth on a global scale.