H&H Group, a global leader in baby, adult and pet nutrition and care, that supports health and happiness for the whole family, has announced the appointment of Rafi Kalachian as the new chief executive officer of H&H Group North America.
Kalachian is a tenured executive and marketer with over 25 years of experience leading and transforming consumer businesses. Most recently, he served as the vice president of Marketing for Health Extension Pet Care and held senior roles at multiple high-growth pet brands such as Canidae Pet Food and Mars Petcare’s NUTRO, as well as brands like Sony Music Entertainment and Nissan Motor Company.
“I am honored to serve as H&H Group’s new CEO of North America and look forward to working with such impactful and iconic brands,” said Kalachian.
Akash Bedi, chief strategy & operations officer at H&H Group and interim CEO, said, “I’m pleased to welcome Rafi to H&H Group North America. He has years of experience in the pet industry, is a strong strategic and creative thinker, and has a vast knowledge of growing consumer businesses – a perfect skillset for leading the organization into the next phase of growth. We want to extend our gratitude to Steve for his years of commitment, and his continued support of these brands.”
Kalachian’s predecessor, Steve Ball, served as CEO of Zesty Paws from August 2019 to October 2021 and was instrumental in the brand’s acquisition to H&H Group in October 2021. Ball then held the position of CEO of H&H Group North America where he spearheaded innovation, accelerated expansion and led product development for the four brands, including Solid Gold Pet.
Steve Ball said, “I’m confident the organization will be in great hands under Rafi’s leadership, and I’m excited for him to see H&H North America into its next chapter of growth. It's been an amazing experience and privilege to lead Zesty Paws and Solid Gold, and subsequently the H&H North America brands. As the time has come for me to transition this role, I couldn't be more excited for Rafi and the team.”
H&H Group is looking forward to further expansion and growth for all four brands this year.
