Hanover, PA — Aiming to accelerate its innovation pipeline, Utz Brands, Inc. has named Shannan Redcay senior vice-president of innovation and value creation, a role in which she will advance R&D initiatives including entry into potentially new categories, according to the snack maker.
“I expect great things to come from Shannan’s expertise, which is in bringing the highest quality products to market and developing new product and packaging ideas that are in lock-step with the needs of our consumers, both new and existing,” says Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz Brands. “Shannan and her team have demonstrated that the most effective way to solidify an emotional and lasting connection with our consumers is to give them something they haven’t even thought to ask for — and that comes from understanding what is most relevant to them.”
In her new role, Redcay will oversee the group responsible for product innovation, quality assurance, and item and packaging development, according to the company.
“Working to understand where consumers are at is a big part of what we do, especially now,” adds Redcay. “One of the current day challenges we face is the drastic shift in consumer behaviors. People went out of ‘exploratory mode’ and instead sought sources and brands of comfort in the early part of 2020, so we need to not just mine customer data and monitor trends but also make some predictions to a certain extent.”
