Mark Baum, a former executive vice-president of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, has been named senior vice-president of industry relations and chief collaboration officer for the Food Marketing Institute, effective July 31. In this newly designed function, Mr. Baum will engage retailer, supplier, manufacturer and service provider executives to help raise the bar on industry collaboration at all points of the food retail chain.
Mr. Baum has more than 25 years of experience in the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industries, most recently as managing partner of MARCAT Group L.L.C., a consulting advisory firm specializing in business, market and customer development. Previously, he was a partner and managing director of the C.P.G./Retail Practice at Diamond Management & Technology Consultants. Earlier in his career Mr. Baum was president and chief executive officer of the Association of Sales and Marketing Companies (A.S.M.C.) and, after leading the merger between the A.S.M.C. and the G.M.A., he was executive vice-president of the G.M.A.
“Each link in the food chain acknowledges the need for more effective collaboration among all industry participants to minimize replication of efforts, maximize efficiencies and provide American consumers with desired products in a more cost-effective and efficient manner,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and c.e.o. of the F.M.I. “Mark’s intricate knowledge and working relationships in every aspect of the food industry uniquely qualify him to help industry leaders recognize areas of overlap, common interest and potential for improved efforts to create a more efficient supply chain and improved consumer shopping experience. Couple all that with his winsome ability to strategically develop practical plans, and the addition of Mark to F.M.I.’s leadership team magnifies our ability to help the industry make the crucial move from recognition of challenges to implementation of solutions.”
