Food manufacturing
10 Kraft Heinz operations leaders
These ten people hold or have held director, head and vice president roles in operations and manufacturing at Kraft Heinz, across plants, business units and regions. A reader can learn how Kraft Heinz runs its factories, sets manufacturing standards and organizes supply chain operations.
Professionals to explore
01—10Akim Tiunov
LinkedInExperience: VP Global Field Manufacturing · Kraft Heinz
VP Global Field Manufacturing at Kraft Heinz since October 2018. At Kraft Heinz Akim Tiunov was also Head of US Manufacturing (2017–2018) and Head of International Manufacturing (2015–2017), and was Head of Operations RIMEA at Heinz (2013–2015); the profile cites process optimization, cost cutting and productivity improvement.
Alex C. Mendes, Ph.D.
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Operations and Supply Chain · Kraft Heinz
Vice President Operations and Supply Chain at Kraft Heinz since April 2025; the profile says this role leads supply chain transformation across 31 North American plants, with a focus on manufacturing performance, digital operations, reliability and planning. Alex C. Mendes was previously VP Design to Delivery QFS at Danone (2021–2025) and VP Engineering Transformation at PepsiCo (2020–2021).
Chris Launius
LinkedInExperience: Director of Manufacturing Operations (Multi-Site) · Kraft Heinz
Director of Manufacturing Operations (Multi-Site) at Kraft Heinz since May 2026, responsible for multi-site operations for the Kraft Heinz desserts business. Chris Launius was previously Plant Manager at Kraft Heinz (2024–2026) and held roles at Mars including Site Director (Royal Canin) (2016–2019) and North America Planning Director (Royal Canin) (2019–2022).
Donna Ditmars, MBA
LinkedInExperience: Sr Director, Manufacturing · Kraft Heinz
Sr Director, Manufacturing at Kraft Heinz since May 2019, leading manufacturing for the Foodservice Division with oversight of six manufacturing facilities; the profile says Donna Ditmars implemented TPM across all plants. Other Kraft Heinz roles include Director, Manufacturing (2016–2019) and Plant Manager (2011–2014).
Flavio Torres
LinkedInExperience: Head of Global Operations · Kraft Heinz
Former Head of Global Operations at Kraft Heinz (2020–2026), a role listed in the Operations department, and Executive Advisor at Kraft Heinz since August 2026. Flavio Torres was previously Supply Operations VP at AB InBev (2014–2020).
Gustavo Gotelip
LinkedInExperience: VP & Head of Supply Chain Operations - Hydration, Desserts and Meals · Kraft Heinz
VP & Head of Supply Chain Operations - Hydration, Desserts and Meals at Kraft Heinz since March 2025. Gustavo Gotelip's other Kraft Heinz roles include VP & Head of Supply Chain Operations - Away from home and KraftHeinz Ingredients (2024–2025), Manufacturing VP - North America Zone (2023–2024) and Vice President Of Global Manufacturing (2020–2023).
Hideraldo Carvalho Jr.
LinkedInExperience: Director of Manufacturing · Kraft Heinz
Director of Manufacturing at Kraft Heinz since January 2024; the profile says Hideraldo Carvalho Jr. leads 10 plants and more than 6,000 employees, with accountability for the Meat, Cheese, Coffee and Snacks portfolio. Other roles include Global Head of Manufacturing at Kraft Heinz (2022–2023) and Industrial Operations Director at AB InBev (2020–2022).
Mateus Reis
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Director of Manufacturing - Europe (UK, Netherlands & Spain) · Kraft Heinz
Sr. Director of Manufacturing - Europe (UK, Netherlands & Spain) at Kraft Heinz since April 2024, based in Amsterdam; the profile headline cites operations and manufacturing transformation and multi-country leadership. Mateus Reis was previously Global Director of Manufacturing at Kraft Heinz (2023–2024) and Packaging Director - Supply Chain - South America Zone at Ambev (2020–2023).
Mauricio Rios
LinkedInExperience: VP Operations - West and East Emerging Markets · Kraft Heinz
VP Operations - West and East Emerging Markets at Kraft Heinz since January 2024, a remit the profile lists as Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, Poland and Eastern Europe. Mauricio Rios was previously VP Operations LATAM at Kraft Heinz (2022–2024) and Operations Director at Danone (2018–2021).
Thiago Dedavid Bastos
LinkedInExperience: VP of Supply Chain & Operations - Meats & Cheese · Kraft Heinz
VP of Supply Chain & Operations - Meats & Cheese at Kraft Heinz since March 2024, based in Chicago in the Operations department at vice president level. The profile also lists VP of Supply Chain & Operations - Fresh Meals, Beverages & Desserts at Kraft Heinz, a role dated from March 2022 with no end date shown.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person to the level of your question, since a plant or multi-site manufacturing director knows daily factory performance while a vice president can speak to network and regional choices. Check each person's dates, especially for anyone who has moved on, before asking how the company operates today.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How does Kraft Heinz decide which manufacturing practices are standardized across plants and which are left to each site?
- 02Which metrics do Kraft Heinz operations leaders use to judge plant performance and productivity?
- 03How are manufacturing and supply chain operations coordinated across business units that share plants?
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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