US-headquartered frozen food producer Harvest Food Group has appointed former Velocity Snack Brands chief executive Amit Pandhi as its new CEO.

The company, based in Naperville in Illinois, was sold to US private-equity firm Industrial Opportunity Partners earlier this year.

Pandhi’s most recent operational role was as CEO of US snacks business Velocity Snack Brands, where he oversaw a portfolio of brands including Popchips.

According to Pandhi’s LinkedIn profile, he held that position from October 2019 to December 2022. Prior to that, he was the president and chief executive of Arctic Zero, a low-calorie frozen dessert maker, for nine years.

Norman Young, the chairman of Harvest Food Group, said Pandhi has a “proven track record of driving growth and innovation in the food space”.

Harvest Food Group supplies frozen vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes and herbs to food manufacturers. The company also sells to foodservice operators, as well as having co-packing and private-label contracts.

"HFG makes incredible products across so many verticals and I look forward to building upon its long history to grow our private label, foodservice, contract manufacturing, branded and ingredient businesses,” Pandhi said.

“I also look forward to deepening our relationships with existing customers, from the largest retailers and best global food companies, as well as serving the most innovative emerging brands in frozen,” he said.

Jason Eckert, who co-founded HFG in 1999 will move from his role as president to board member. He said: “Amit will infuse a new source of energy and expand the vision for what HFG can become. His experience in building organizations and maximising growth and profitability will help position Harvest Food Group to tackle the challenges that our industry faces heading into the future.”