The Hagen Group has appointed Billy Frey vice president, strategic growth – dog and cat, a newly created role focused on driving growth and innovation across the company's dog and cat consumables portfolio.
Frey will lead the development of integrated growth strategies designed to accelerate Hagen's leadership in premium pet nutrition and care. Working closely with the company's global brand, product and commercial teams, he will help strengthen Hagen's position across both specialty and emerging retail channels.
"I've long admired Hagen's legacy of innovation and the company's deep understanding of pet care," said Frey. "Having worked on some great brands in the past, I see similar potential with Hagen's brands. I'm excited to build on Hagen's strong foundation and bring even more value to pet parents and their companions."
Frey joins Hagen following a tenure at Champion Petfoods, where he held several senior roles, including vice president, demand transformation, global vice president, marketing – ACANA, and vice president, cat portfolio and shopper marketing. During his time at Champion, he spearheaded initiatives that drove above-category growth for the ORIJEN and ACANA brands, expanded the company's cat portfolio, and established the shopper marketing function serving key North American retail partners.
Prior to entering the pet industry, Frey spent more than a decade with Alltech, where he held a variety of positions in marketing/communications, brand development and commercialization with a focus on production agriculture and companion animals.
"Billy's background in driving growth across both established and emerging consumables brands makes him an exceptional fit for Hagen," said Rolf Hagen Jr., president and CEO of Hagen Group. "His combination of pet category expertise, marketing vision, and commercialization experience will be instrumental as we continue to expand our footprint in the dog and cat consumables space. Billy's leadership will play a key role in helping us unlock new growth opportunities and strengthen our position across channels."
