Gemini, ADM, Others Welcome New Team Members

Gemini Pharmaceuticals Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), HP Ingredients, NBTY Inc., The United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), National Enzyme Co. and Nature’s Power Nutraceuticals (NP Nutra) all recently welcomed new members to their ever-growing teams.

First off, Gemini Pharmaceuticals Inc. appointed of Mark Gaeta as chief operating officer. Gaeta brings more than 35 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries. His background includes the design, construction oversight and subsequent start-up management of facilities for a number of pharmaceutical and nutritional companies.

ADM named Kenneth Campbell president of the company’s WILD Flavors business, and also named Manda Tweten president of the company’s specialty commodities business (SCI). Campbell most recently served as president of ADM’s specialty commodities business and previously served as ADM’s vice president, North American Oilseeds. Tweten joined ADM with its acquisition of WILD Flavors in 2014 and served as vice president of sales, North America, prior to being named to her new role.

In addition, HP Ingredients appointed industry veteran Hame K. Persaud to executive vice president. Persaud held senior management positions at Aveda Corporation, Garden State Nutritionals and Sabinsa Corporation during the past 25 years. 

NBTY Inc. announced the appointment of Sonya Soutus to senior vice president of public affairs and communications. Soutus will provide strategic leadership in the creation and implementation of communications, government relations and stakeholder initiatives. She will also be responsible for developing broad, integrated internal and external programs that ensure the engagement of all key stakeholders and promote, protect and enhance the reputation of NBTY as the pre-eminent global leader in wellness products.

USP elected Joerg Gruenwald as a member of its Expert Committee for Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines for the term 2015 to 2020. Joerg Gruenwald has worked as advisor to the FDA Office of Dietary Supplements, he was chairman of the International Committee of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and member of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)’s Botanical/Quality Standards Committee. In 2015, he also joined the Advisory Board of the American Botanical Council (ABC). Gruenwald currently serves as chief scientific advisor for Analyze & Realize, a consultancy and CRO specialized in botanicals and natural health products.

Also, National Enzyme Company welcomed Naeem Shaikh, Ph.D., to its leadership team. Shaikh joined NEC as vice president of research and innovation, leveraging 28 years of experience, as well as knowledge in product development, regulatory and quality assurance standards.

And finally, NP Nutra added four new staff members to its team: Virginia Agawin, Nanette Constantino and Lila Price as account managers and William Huen as logistics coordinator. Virginia Agawin is a trained leader and team player who brings a history of excellence to NP Nutra in the performance of her various past roles. Nanette Constantino has held a number of high-profile sales and customer-service related supervisory positions prior to joining NP Nutra. Lila Price’s quality service-oriented training and experience over past years will be a great asset to NP Nutra’s sales team. William Huen’s past experience in different capacities have equipped him for the challenging role as NP Nutra’s logistics coordinator, where he will manage the receipt, storage, transfer and shipping of stock to customers worldwide.