The company named Janelle Aydin global chief procurement and supply chain officer, effective July 1, as it reorganizes its global operational model.
Unified leadership for end-to-end operations
Kraft Heinz has merged its previously separate procurement and supply chain functions into a single integrated unit. This structural consolidation follows the company’s decision earlier in 2026 to reverse a planned business split — a move announced in late 2025 and formally withdrawn in March 2026. The integration takes effect on July 1, 2026, with oversight now centralized under one executive leader reporting directly to the CEO.
The appointment of Janelle Aydin marks the first time Kraft Heinz has combined these two critical domains under a single C-suite role. Aydin brings over 20 years of global sourcing and logistics experience, including prior leadership positions at Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Her mandate includes harmonizing supplier engagement, inventory planning, transportation execution, and demand forecasting across all geographies where Kraft Heinz operates — spanning North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.
Strategic rationale and scope of integration
report, the merger aims to eliminate functional silos that had impeded cross-functional alignment on cost management, risk mitigation, and sustainability targets. The newly unified function will cover all direct and indirect spend categories, encompassing raw materials (e.g., tomatoes, vinegar, spices), packaging (glass, plastic, aluminum), co-manufacturing services, and logistics providers across air, ocean, rail, and road transport modes.
The integration covers 14 regional procurement hubs and 9 global supply chain control towers, with centralized data governance and shared KPIs for on-time-in-full (OTIF) delivery, total cost of ownership (TCO), and carbon intensity All procurement contracts valued at $50,000 or more will now undergo joint evaluation by sourcing and logistics teams before approval — a process previously managed independently.
Operational impact and timeline
Implementation is being rolled out in three phases: system harmonization (Q3 2026), process standardization (Q4 2026), and full organizational realignment (Q1 2027). The company confirmed that no workforce reductions are planned as part of this initiative. Instead, internal mobility programs will support staff transitioning between former procurement and supply chain roles.
Kraft Heinz stated that the integration supports its broader 2026–2030 Sustainability Roadmap, which includes commitments to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030 versus a 2020 baseline. The unified function will accelerate progress by enabling joint supplier scorecards incorporating both cost-performance metrics and ESG compliance data — a capability previously fragmented across departments.
Industry context and peer benchmarking
This move aligns with a growing trend among multinational consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms. In Q2 2026, Nestlé appointed a global head of integrated supply chain and procurement, while PepsiCo consolidated its North American procurement and logistics teams in early 2025. Analysts note that such integrations typically yield 8–12% improvement in working capital efficiency within 18 months — driven by synchronized inventory replenishment, reduced safety stock, and optimized freight consolidation.
Supply chain practitioners emphasize that success hinges on technology enablement: Kraft Heinz is deploying an upgraded SAP S/4HANA platform with embedded AI-driven demand sensing and supplier risk analytics, scheduled for go-live in October 2026. The system will feed a single source of truth accessible to both procurement and supply chain planners — replacing four legacy systems previously used in parallel.
Source: Supply Chain Dive
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
