PLYMOUTH, WIS. — Sargento Foods Inc. has unveiled several key leadership changes.

Kris Cherukuri has been named vice president of information technology. Cherukuri joined Sargento in August 2021 and in his new role is responsible for the company's existing technology platforms while leading the charge to deliver new technology-driven capabilities that support Sargento's strategic growth objectives.

Cherukuri most recently was with Sysmex America Inc., where he led the Enterprise Systems team. Earlier, he held several senior IT roles over eight years with Tyson Foods.

Vera Petrova Dickinson joined Sargento in June 2021 as vice president of food safety and quality. In this role, Dickinson is responsible for strategic development and execution of food safety and quality standards and systems across the Sargento Foods supply chain.

Prior to Sargento she held leadership roles in several global organizations, including Walt Disney World, Mondelez International, Mars Wrigley and, most recently, Danone North America.

Chris McCarthy has been promoted to vice president of pricing and demand planning. In his new role, he is responsible for the management of the divisions' pricing, promotions/trade budgets, demand planning, and terms and conditions coordination. He also continues to lead the CPD Price/Commodity Management process with Sargento's FPA partners.

McCarthy joined Sargento in 2013 as director of marketing for Natural Cheese Adjacencies and has held various leadership positions over the past eight years, including vice president of strategic planning, director of marketing for core products, and director of integrated marketing communications.

Holly Baumgart has been promoted to vice president of strategic planning, where she focuses on the long-term health of the company, seeking to bring the Real Food vision to life, and leading several key strategic and corporate initiatives.

Since joining Sargento as vice president of IT, Baumgart has led the transformation of IT as a business partner to all areas of the company. She has more than 15 years of experience in IT, business development and consulting. Prior to joining Sargento in 2016, she held leadership roles at Harley Davidson and Ernst & Young.

Julia Klimkovich has been named vice president of financial planning and analysis. In her new role, Klimkovich leads all FP&A across the enterprise, which includes consumer products, foodservice and ingredients, operations and SG&A.

Prior to Sargento, Klimkovich held various leadership positions at Johnson Controls and Associated Bank in Milwaukee.

Dennis Schweiger has been named vice president and treasurer of corporate finance and accounting. In this role, he oversees all aspects of Sargento corporate accounting, credit, and treasury functions while continuing to strengthen the talent within the finance organization.

Schweiger joined Sargento in 2017 and most recently was director of financial planning and analysis. Earlier, he spent more than 17 years at Kohler Co., where he held a range of leadership positions spanning commercial operations, treasury, and corporate accounting.