Charles W. Kukic, Jr.

*** ******* ***** *************, ** 17022

Home: 717-***-**** Cell: 717-***-**** Email: acd70h@r.postjobfree.com

SENIOR MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE

SVP / Vice President Sales & Marketing

Repeatedly produce sustained revenue and EBITA growth in dynamic and changing markets.

Proven achievements in Retail (All Classes of Trade), B2B, Contract Manufacturing, Foodservice, Export and

Food & Beverage Ingredients industries.

Extensive business background in international, multi cultural environments.

Senior executive with verifiable year-after-year success achieving revenue, profit, and business growth objectives

within turnaround, and rapid-change environments. Extensive experience with innovation and strategy, which require

deep understanding of critical business drivers in multiple markets and channels of trade; highly successful in building

relationships with upper-level decision makers, seizing control of critical problem areas, and delivering on customer

commitments. Customer-focused and performance-driven. Led and motivated teams comprised of more than 50

employees and managed P&L for business divisions exceeding $200 million revenue.

Sales & Marketing Management Marketing Innovation Organic Business Growth Strategic Planning

Staff Development-Promotion Global Marketing & Sales Customer Satisfaction & Service

Leadership Development P&L Management/Budget Planning Product Development

Change Management Brand Management Licensing Strategic Partnerships

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Turned around an underperforming $200+ million global division while with AFP LLC, creating 5

business unit architecture around a coherent commercial and operational North American strategy,

restoring profitability, producing higher than market revenue gains during high commodity windows,

winning market share in strategic and emerging accounts and segments, and delivering double digit

EBITA growth.

Reversed losses into profits, serving as catalyst for growth and expansion of struggling $170 million

division of Meiji; quickly restored forward momentum, generating year over year revenue and operating

gains and profits at steady 25% return on sales.

Developed and launched 2 major platforms that broke all internal Hershey records for sales in one

year, maximized and allocated appropriately open capacity, and elevated earnings. Drove Take 5 Candy

bar to #1 F/D/M/W/C, won 3 consecutive CEO Executive Awards of excellence in Innovation

Transformed and integrated an acquired brand (Ice Breakers) and turned it in one year to a

flagship top performer generating $150 million in sales and 15% increase in profits in period of just 2

years. Developed a new positioning and 5 year strategic vision including new business segments and

international operations partnerships.

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

M.S., St. Joseph’s University, December 1999

Major: Food Marketing

B.A., Duquesne University, May 1994

Major: Corporate Communications

Minors: Spanish

Certificate in Business: International Business

Charles W. Kukic, Jr. Page 2

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

SELF-EMPLOYED CONSULTANT 7/13 – Present

Dairy Bond LLC – SVP Business Development – sales development of custom dairy flavors calling on

Confection, Snack & Dairy manufacturing companies (Hershey is the main customer)

AFP LLC – working on a strategic initiative in a critical retail category with Sales, Marketing & R&D.

Los Kitos – providing strategic direction into what food categories and market segments to enter for Mexican

branded equity

Meiji America Inc.

York, PA, August 2010 – May 2013

Led and established the vision for the America division for a multi faceted business unit approach that included

segmentation tiered branding approach. Led to the progressive 7x bottom line growth and record sales for the division

of this $13 billion producer of confections, dairy, cookies and crackers & ingredients.

SVP, PLANNING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 8/10 – 5/13

$170 million division providing confection, cookies and cracker products/services; comprised of 2 business units

focused on the confection market and cookies & crackers segments.

Led both business units with a staff of 50+ people and $170M in revenues. Oversaw team of 3 Vice Presidents (2 Vice

Presidents of Sales (each division), Vice President of Marketing and 2 Directors, Customer Service and Product

Development. All department heads were newly hired via my reorganization of the commercial groups.

Spearheaded change in commercial groups, establishing a new strategic direction for the company, leading to the

financial turnaround and operational capacity increase and building a strong leadership team.

Strategic Partnerships

Strategic Planning

Branding

Sales & Marketing Management

Top &

Bottom line Improvement

Developed strategic partnerships and relationships with Sony Studios,

SeaWorld, Walt Disney, Fox Studios, Nestle, MiLB, & MARS resulting in increases

in promotional activity and sales.

Developed process and procedures for planning to include the first long

range plan for the Americas, global share networks with Japan and other Asian

Subsidiaries, a new project management system, SKU rationalization

Developed and delivered the first segmentation study of the categories for

Meiji America and established a repositioning of the brands and segments as a

result “Play Like an Animal” Stauffer’s Animal Crackers

During the first year, recorded the first record month, and record annual

earnings and profits +22% (including strategic partnerships with Wal Mart, Trader

Joe’s, Frito Lay and Loblaws)

Established consumer awareness programs via guerilla tactics such as

Crowd Sourcing (PopTent), Facebook Fan Pages, Smurfs Promotion and the AZA

(Zoos)

Established customer awareness programs via trade publications,

associations and shows (NACs, NCA, PLMA)

During my tenure, established an extensive SKU rationalization process that

has netted an increase of profits by 7x previous years CAGR including the highest

profit the company has recorded and the highest gross sales ever recorded.

AFP LLC

New Holland, PA, February 2007 – July 2010

Led and established a multi faceted business unit approach that included reorganization of the commercial group to

support the North American joint venture to include Canada, US and Mexican markets. Led to the progressive 3x

bottom line growth and record sales for the division of this $5 billion producer of cheese, dairy, chocolate &

ingredients parent company Bongrain.

VP STRATEGIC MARKETING & SALES 2/07 – 7/10

$200 million division providing dairy based aseptic products/services; comprised of 5 business units focused on the co

manufacturing CPG market, Foodservice & Ingredient segments.

Promoted by the CEO to VP Strategic Marketing & Sales one year after being with the company to lead the approved 5

business unit approach that was proposed by myself including Retail, Food Service, Co Pack, Export & created

Ingredients division. During my tenure, AFP LLC enjoyed its highest profitability and sales in its history

Charles W. Kukic, Jr. Page 3

Strategic Planning

Top &

Bottom line Improvement

Sales & Marketing Management

Strategic Partnerships

Global Marketing & Sales

Led the strategic planning of AFP and Bongrain North America ingredient businesses

Grew AFP’s business’s operating income performance 3x in less than 2 years

(300 a 3 yr. CAGR of 33.5% vol. and margin

Grew AFP’s Taco Bell’s cheese sauce business via innovation and health platform

+50% with focus on thought leadership

Developed the strategic direction for innovation via profitable customers and

platforms (2 year OI performance +51%)

Developed Ingredient Business Strategy to focus on Dairy Ingredient Solutions

while at the same time improving internal ingredient performance by producing for

ourselves

Grew Retail +42% vs. YAGO after previous year’s double digit growth via Jelly

Belly platform and Private Label innovation growth.

Developed private label and licensing strategy in core business areas including

pudding, soup and cheese sauce, +31%

Paradigm shifted the cheese sauce business with focus on unmet dips and sauce

usage via licensed agreement and strategic partnerships to include Rico’s and Frito

Lay

Developed Export strategies via awareness building, Bongrain networking

and direct shipments while at the same time staffing positions via vision of to

support 29 countries from nothing.

Led Bongrain global strategy to include Milkana brand development in

China, Brazil and Middle East

3/05 – 2/07

SELF-EMPLOYED CONTRACTOR

McCormick & Company 12/05-2/07 New Product Innovation Pipeline & Emerging Markets Discovery

Kunzler & Company 3/05-12/05 Director of Marketing

Hershey Foods

Hershey, PA, February 1997 – February 2005

Brand Manager, Global Innovation 11/02 – 2/05

Led the global efforts on 3 major platforms for Hershey: Sugar Free, Swoops and TAKE 5

Developed and garnered senior management approval for all aspects of the platforms including

funnel filling, P&L, trade, capital, consumer promotion and advertising.

Exceeded Year I factory sales plan +12.5%, captured a 23% share of the sugar free market with

strong trial & repeat

Launched and developed the Swoops platform, delivering $80M in new sales over 13 months and

gaining new product awards from Productscan, Retail Chef’s Association for Swoop appetizers,

Progressive Grocer

Delivered a $125M in new product sales with the Take 5 brand as well as the #1 candy bar in

F/D/Mx/W/C

Three time winner of the CEO’s Executive Award for Excellence in Innovation and Technology

Brand Manager, Ice Breakers 1/01 – 11/02

Developed the new positioning and branding for Ice Breakers including a new advertising

campaign.

Managed relationships including direct contract negotiations with partners in Denmark, Japan, &

France

Re tooled trade promotion strategy for the Hershey gum and mint business to deliver increased

share and movement.

Full P&L responsibility for the Ice Breakers Franchise and grew +15% in factory sales after 2 years

of decline pre and post acquisition.

Developed targeted consumer promotions and sampling events outside of the normal channels

based on best of class learning to include night club sampling that is not only trial based but also

builds experiential relevance

1997-2001

Associate Brand Manager, Equity Marketing Department, Hershey Kisses, Pot of Gold & Hershey Miniatures

Associate Marketing Manager, Seasons Marketing Department, BTS, Halloween & Christmas / Boxed Chocolates

Assistant Brands Manager, Ronzoni

1994-1997

Marketing Consultant, Data Analyst, Market Metrics / Spectra Market/Metrics (now Nielsen)

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