AAK USA Inc., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of value-adding specialty vegetable fats and oils, recently announced the addition of several members to its Edison, N.J.-based team. 

“I am pleased to announce Bill Troy, Ryan Branch and Jessica Madden have joined our AAK USA team,” said Octavio Diaz de Leon, president of AAK USA and AAK North Latin America. “These talented and experienced team members are a great addition to our team and allow us to deliver on our commitment of providing value-adding formulation solutions to our customer partners. Bill Troy also joins our leadership team. I am confident that his tenure in the industry, operational experience and excellence will make a positive strategic and technical impact in our business through his leadership.”

Highlights of AAK team additions include:

William (Bill) Troy, senior director US manufacturing operations, is based out of AAK’s Edison, N.J., corporate headquarters office and joins the AAK US leadership team. As head of the AAK US operations team he oversees the US site operations directors and strives to be a metrics-driven leader delivering results through cross-functional collaboration, continuous improvement and project management. Troy has more than twenty years global operations and engineering management experience. Most recently, Troy was chief operating officer with IOI/Bunge Loders Croklaan and previously held manufacturing, operations, continuous improvement and engineering management positions with ConAgra Foods, The Stepan Company and several bio-fuels refinery companies. Troy earned a Master of Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, N.J., and Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Penn. He has served on the board of several professional associations including the Institute of Shortenings and Edible Oils, Washington, DC; Three Rivers Manufacturers Association, Joliet, Ill.; and Vegetable Oils Industry Canada, Toronto, Ontario.

Ryan Branch, senior marketing manager, is based out of Edison, N.J. Branch leads the AAK US marketing team and is responsible for developing marketing initiatives and working with sales to implement strategic product and segment marketing plans and pricing strategies to maximize market penetration. Branch is an accomplished professional with over fifteen years of global business experience in executing and leading sales and marketing to ingredient and CPG companies for a variety of ingredients, food, flavor, and fragrance products, working most recently with Mitsui & Co. Branch received dual Bachelor of Arts degrees from Michigan State in International Studies and East Asian Studies. He also earned a master of business administration in marketing management from DePaul University.

Jessica Madden, marketing analyst, is based in the Edison, N.J., corporate office. Madden is responsible for analyzing product and service offerings as well as developing marketing communications. She is also responsible for analyzing and recommending changes to AAK USA’s marketing policies, objectives, and initiatives to maximize market penetration, opportunities and profits. Madden’s role includes performing research and providing insight regarding the market, trends, competitive landscape, potential and existing customers, and current campaigns. Madden has a degree in Marketing and Merchandising from LIM College and brings nine years of experience in B2B marketing. She has an extensive background working with agencies and tradeshows to bring exposure and add value to AAK’s brand. She also works with the sales and customer innovation teams to analyze new potential growth areas within the US and Canada.  

AAK offers a wide range of vegetable oils and works together with customers to co-develop customized solutions that make the most of their combined expertise to ideate and develop innovative new products. AAK’s coast-to-coast innovation center coverage and customer innovation specialists increase their customers’ speed to market of innovative new products. Together, AAK can help you give consumers the great-tasting better-for-you, clean label and sustainable options that they want.

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