Rip Van appoints former Hershey president to power next phase of growth

Rip Van CEO appointment: overview

• Rip Van appoints former Hershey executive Todd Tillemans as CEO
• Tillemans brings three decades of consumer packaged goods experience
• Better-for-you snack brand recently surpassed $100m in retail sales
• Leadership change supports distribution, growth and portfolio expansion
• Rip Van aims to become a household snacking brand

Confectionery and snack brand Rip Van has appointed former Hershey US president, Todd Tillemans, as CEO.

A CPG veteran with more than three decades of experience, Tillemans has held leadership positions at Hershey, Unilever and General Mills, and served on the Board of the National Confectioners Association. During his career, he’s helped lead and grow some of the industry’s most recognisable brands, including Reese’s and KitKat.

But after decades with some of consumer goods’ biggest players, Tillemans says Rip Van’s momentum and potential to disrupt the snacking category made the opportunity particularly compelling.

“What drew me to Rip Van is the rare combination of a genuinely differentiated product, a rapidly growing consumer following and a massive category ripe for disruption,” says Tillemans. “I am excited by the opportunity to accelerate this purpose-driven insurgent brand and enhance enterprise value by delivering beloved products, deepening customer partnerships, building leading-edge commercial capabilities and developing world-class talent.”

He succeeds co-founder Rip Pruisken to the role. Pruisken meanwhile will “remain actively involved in the business” alongside his Board responsibilities.

“Todd has a purpose-driven and values-led approach that is aligned with the Rip Van culture and mission,” said Pruisken in a statement. “He brings the brand-building and commercial excellence capabilities necessary to help evolve Rip Van into a household name. We are thrilled to have Todd lead our company.”

Co-founder and CFO, Marco De Leon, added: “We are crafting a powerful consumer brand and have tremendous potential to expand our portfolio and grow profitably with the experience and operating discipline that Todd brings.”

From Dutch waffles to $100m sales

Founded in 2013, Rip Van built its reputation on better-for-you Dutch-style waffles before expanding into wafers, biscuits and chocolate bars, helping it capitalise on growing consumer demand for permissible indulgence and healthier snacking options.

Now one of the fastest-growing better-for-you confectionery and snacking brands in the world, it recently surpassed $100m in retail sales.

Leading the next phase of growth

The leadership transition comes as Rip Van enters its next phase of growth, with ambitions to broaden distribution, deepen retail partnerships and expand its product portfolio across the better-for-you space.

The appointment reflects a wider trend across the confectionery and snacking sector, where emerging brands are hiring executives from multinational food and beverage companies to help scale operations, strengthen customer relationships and unlock further growth.

It follows Parle Biscuits appointment of former PepsiCo exec George Kovoor to CEO, and The Compleat Food Group appointment of former Mars UK & Ireland exec general manager Nick Reade to managing director.

For Rip Van, the hire signals an ambition not just to grow, but to scale. And with a confectionery veteran at the helm, the company believes it’s well positioned to capitalise on growing consumer demand for better-for-you snacks.