American Institute of Baking welcomes new board members
Thomas Benner, president & CEO of Lasaffre Corporation/Red Star Yeast Company; Michael Connolly, senior director, Snacks R&D, Campbell Snacks; Jo Anne Gabbert, president of JAG Portfolio Services; and Gary Mawby, VP, Supply Chain, The Bama Companies join an esteemed group of leaders from companies like Grupo Bimbo, General Mills, PepsiCo and Flowers Foods.
“The addition of these four new board members provides us a wealth of experience that will help guide and support not only our evolution, but the expansion of our expertise in markets like China, Asia Pacific, Africa and elsewhere,” said Andre Biane, AIB International’s president and CEO.
“Each of our board members have been chosen based on their industry experience and functional expertise. I believe this board will continue to encourage us to be strategic, entrepreneurial and responsive to the needs of the industry.”
AIB Board members
- Bradley T. Allen, president and GM, PHM Brands (chairman of AIB International)
- Brian T. Dwyer, VP, Manufacturing Operations, Kroger Company (vice-chair)
- Andre R. Biane, president and CEO, AIB International
- Thomas E. Ogle, CFO, AIB International (secretary/treasurer)
- Judy Abrams, SVP and CFO, Gateway Region YMCA
- Mahirwan Bhagia, senior director, Global Governance & Compliance, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, PepsiCo
- Greg Boyd, SVP of Supply Chain, Flowers Food
- Jeff Dearduff, president and CEO, Gold Standard Baking
- Todd Larson, VP, Operations, Henningsen Cold Storage Co.
- Mike Leikam, president and CEO, Centralized Supply Chain Services
- Rick McGrath, partner, Lockton Companies
- Dr John Morris, Department of Accounting, Kansas State University
- Pat Murphy, director, Supply Chain Leaders – C&F, General Mills
- Campbell Williams, VP, BCW Food Products
- Lucy Williams, VP and Trust Officer, The Trust Company
- Jorge Zarate, SVP, Global Operations, Logistics and Engineering, Grupo Bimbo
The operational intent of the Manhattan, Kansas-based institute is to raise the standard of food safety and quality.
Its team of inspectors, trainers, bakers and scientists work hand-in-hand with producers in 120 countries address virtually every link in their supply chain to optimise processes and prevent recalls.
Food safety certification
New board members were also selected for the AIB International Certification Service.
Deborah Shapos, food safety manager, Culinary Art’s Specialties and Christina Tabata, director, Quality Assurance and Food Safety, Rubio’s Coastal Grill join the Board of the wholly-owned subsidiary of AIB.
“Certification Services is well-known for supporting continuous improvement in food safety management systems to ensure confidence in the delivery of safe food to consumers worldwide,” added Biane.
“By adding two board members with a breadth of quality assurance and food safety expertise, we further boost our ability to anticipate and meet the needs of our clients.”
At the 2019 International Baking Industry Expo (IBIE) held in Las Vegas, US, earlier this year, AIB International launched the BakePro Certification, which leverages AIB International’s century of expertise.
The certification includes online classroom and customised on-the-job training on a client’s specific products, processes and facilities, covering process control, function of ingredients, product scoring and troubleshooting.
“As we plan for the next 100 years, we’re expanding our bakery services to provide custom offerings at individual plants and facilities where new skills and techniques can be immediately put into practice,” said Baine.
“AIB International is well known for this kind of hands-on training and commitment to the industry, and we believe this approach will propel us into the next century.”
