Phillips Pet Food & Supplies Announce New Leadership Roles
Phillips Pet Food & Supplies has announced two appointments to the company’s leadership team.
The company has welcomed back John Lawton as Vice President, Brand Development. In this role, Lawton is responsible for identifying innovative growth opportunities that create new partnerships for Phillips and enhance relationships with existing vendors and programs. In his previous leadership role as VP, Vendor Management, Lawton forged strong partnerships with brands, was pivotal in developing a relevant product assortment across categories in support of retailers and led key growth strategies for Phillips.
“We are thrilled to have John on the team! John brings a wealth of experience and success in building strong and sustainable relationships with our vendor community,” said Elizabeth Thibodeau, SVP, Merchandising and Supply Chain. “With John’s knowledge and experience in the pet industry, Phillips can accelerate our focus on building the leading product and brand assortment while delivering exceptional service to our retailers.”
“I am very excited to rejoin the premier distributor in the pet specialty channel.” said Lawton. “I look forward to working with Blaine Phillips, this exceptional team and our vendor partners to bring innovative opportunities and quality service to our retailers.”
Nick Christensen has also joined Phillips as new Senior Vice President of Operations. In this position, Christensen will be responsible for leveraging operational opportunities to increase efficiency as Phillips delights the customer and focuses on building the industry-leading distribution platform.
Christensen most recently served as Vice President of Operations for C&S Wholesale Grocers for their Western Region. While in this role, he supported the regional operations where he developed and implemented continuous improvement action plans of business processes. Prior to joining C&S Wholesalers, Christensen worked at United Natural Foods, Inc for seven years in positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as their Vice President of Operations in their Southern Region. He also brings more than a decade of operational excellence experience in warehouse operations, inventory control and transportation from the Sysco organization.
“I am excited to have joined the Phillips family,” said Christensen. “Operational excellence will be our focus to provide the best possible experience for our valued customers, vendors and our associates.”