Claire Ughetto appointed as Senior Vice President of Operations, brings over 20 years of experience in supply chain management, strategic planning, and operational transformation to support the tremendous growth and distribution expansion of TRUBARTM.
Laura Freimane appointed Chief Financial Officer, brings over 14 years of experience in financial reporting, auditing, compliance, and operational oversight to SBBC.
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 17, 2024 /CNW/ - Simply Better Brands Corp. ("SBBC" or the "Company") (TSXV: SBBC) (OTCQB: SBBCF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Claire Ughetto as Senior Vice President of Operations and Ms. Laura Freimane, CPA as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") effective as of January 1, 2025.
Simply Better Brands Corp. logo (CNW Group/Simply Better Brands Corp.)
Ms. Ughetto is a highly accomplished supply chain executive with over 20 years of experience delivering strategic impact through operational excellence, transformation programs, and best practices. As the Senior Vice President of Operations, she will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end supply chain for SBBC's flagship brand TRUBARTM to support the brand's rapid growth and distribution expansion. Prior to joining SBBC, Ms. Ughetto spent over five years at Kimberly-Clark, where she held senior roles such as Senior Director, Global Supply Chain Development and Senior Director of Supply Chain Strategy & Transformation. In these positions, she led global supply chain restructuring initiatives, established planning centers of excellence, and implemented advanced analytics to optimize inventory, reduce costs, and enhance customer service. Ms. Ughetto has also held leadership roles at Wrigley and Mars, including as Global Industrial Engineering Director and Global Customer Supply Chain Director, where she drove major transformation programs and led critical business processes. Ms. Ughetto holds a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Ms. Freimane is an experienced CPA with a strong background in financial reporting, auditing, and compliance. As CFO, she will oversee the Company's financial strategy and operations during a critical growth phase. Ms. Freimane has been with VRG Capital since 2012. In her role at VRG, she has provided operational oversight and financial accounting for the firm and its portfolio companies. Her responsibilities have included supporting mergers and acquisitions and interim leadership roles for several VRG-owned businesses. Ms. Freimane is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Riga Stradins University.
Ms. Freimane succeeds Mr. Brian Meadows who has decided to leave the company at the end of the year to pursue opportunities on the West Coast where he is based. The Board and management would like to take this opportunity to thank Brian for his dedication and significant contributions to SBBC and wish him all the best in his future endeavours. Ms. Freimane and Mr. Meadows will work closely over the next month to ensure a smooth transition of the CFO responsibilities.
Kingsley Ward, SBBC Chairman and CEO commented, "We are thrilled to welcome Claire and Laura to the SBBC team in these key roles. Claire joins us in this new operations leadership role at a critical time as we build our team to meet the strong and growing demand for the TRUBARTM in North America and internationally. Meanwhile, I have worked closely with Laura throughout her tenure at VRG and she has played an instrumental role in the financial leadership of several of our VRG portfolio companies."
Erica Groussman, CEO of TRUBARTM added, "I want to recognize and thank Brian for his contributions to building the TRUBARTM brand over the last five years and for his service to SBBC, especially over the last year as we completed a significant restructuring of the business, secured new financing to support our growth and enhanced our overall financial position. We wish Brian the best in his future endeavours."
About Simply Better Brands Corp.
Simply Better Brands Corp. is an international omni-channel platform with a portfolio of diversified assets in the rapidly growing plant-based, natural, and clean ingredient space. The Company targets informed, health-conscious Millennial and Generation Z consumers with a focus on opportunities for expansion into high-growth consumer product categories. For more information on Simply Better Brands Corp., please visit: For more information on Simply Better Brands Corp., please visit: https://www.simplybetterbrands.com/investor-relations.
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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") as such terms are defined under applicable Canadian securities laws and are based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the appointment of the officers effective as of January 1, 2025, and statements with respect to the future business and operations of the Company. The words "engaged in", "evaluating", "continuing to", "is reviewing", "potential", "intend", "anticipates", "believes", "aims", "plans", "expects" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain future conditions, actions, events or results "will", "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "can", or negative versions thereof, "occur", "continue" or "be achieved", and other similar expressions, identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as a number of specific factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of such statements, are outside of the Company's control and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies which could result in the forward-looking statements ultimately being entirely or partially incorrect or untrue. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on various assumptions, including, but not limited to, the following: the ability of the Company to achieve its growth and revenue strategies; the demand for the Company's products; that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events; the regulatory climate in which the Company operates; and the Company's ability to execute on its business plans. Known and unknown risk factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, could cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements, or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include but are not limited to: the impact of foreign exchange rates; pricing pressures; general adverse economic, market and business conditions and those factors which are discussed in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2023, which is available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.com. The risk factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect the Company, and the reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties, and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.
Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's expectations and plans relating to the future. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. All of the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are given as of the date hereof and qualified by these cautionary statements.
