Rise Baking Company, a North American provider of high quality bakery products, announced that Mark McNeil has been appointed CEO. McNeil succeeds Brian Zellmer, who has led the company over the past five years of transformational growth.

McNeil is a seasoned food and beverage executive with more than 30 years of cross-functional leadership experience across retail, foodservice and manufacturing. He has held multiple CEO roles leading private‑label and branded food companies. His background includes senior executive roles at Shearer's Foods, Bonduelle Americas, Lassonde Pappas, US Foods, Weston Foods and Loblaw Companies Limited.

Most recently, McNeil served as CEO of Shearer's Foods, the largest private label and contract manufacturer of salty snacks, cookies, and crackers in North America. There, he led a multi-year value creation plan delivering significant revenue and EBITDA expansion while building an autonomous leadership team and deepening customer partnerships. He is recognized for balancing long-term strategic vision with rigorous operational execution.

McNeil joins Rise at a pivotal moment. In 2024, Platinum Equity and Butterfly announced the acquisition of the company, citing its impressive scale, category leadership and deep customer relationships. Founded in 2013 and based in Minneapolis, Rise is one of North America's leading suppliers of cookies, pies, cakes, icings, muffins, crispy bars and more to in-store bakeries and foodservice operators. The company has completed ten acquisitions, built a scalable national manufacturing and logistics network, and established a diverse portfolio of trusted bakery brands.