Gathered Foods appoints Christine Mei as new CEO

American plant-based seafood products manufacturer Gathered Foods has appointed Christine Mei as its new chief executive.

Mei will assume the new role from Gathered Foods’ co-founder and CEO Chris Kerr, who will be now associated with the company as executive chair.

Mei has more than three decades of experience in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. She was associated with various companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble, Nike, Beiersdorf and Royal Philips, as well as held various leadership positions.

Kerr said: “At Gathered Foods, we thrive on collaboration and bringing together creative minds to join our mission to make a difference.

“We’re beyond excited to have been able to attract someone like Christine to lead our enterprise. She brings such a wealth of experience in the CPG space, with a focus on catapulting brands to their full potential.

“The future of our brand is bright and we are excited for what’s to come with Christine at the helm.”

As the company’s new CEO, Mei will focus on the growth and expansion of Gathered Foods in the plant-based food industry.

Mei said: “I’m so energised about the tremendous potential for the Good Catch brand. In fact, the future of the entire plant-based food industry is on a trajectory of positive disruption.

“It’s both humbling and exhilarating to be able to amplify social impact through purposeful innovation in the plant-based seafood space. I’m really looking forward to collaborating with co-founders Chris Kerr, Chad and Derek Sarno to set Good Catch onto its next curve of growth.”

In January, Gathered Foods raised more than $32m through a Series B funding round to support its growth plans.

General Mills venture unit 301 INC and Greenleaf Foods were the key investors.