• by Danielle Oster , November 8, 2023

Post Holdings President and CEO Robert VItale is taking what the company characterized as an “unexpected” medical leave of absence for an undetermined period of time.

“At this time, it is too soon to know the course of treatment and timing of recovery,” the company said (without specifying exactly what problem would be treated).

In Vitale’s absence, Post’s board of directors appointed Jeff A. Zadoks to the role of interim CEO -- a move the company said was consistent with its “established emergency succession protocol.” A veteran of the company since 2011, Vitale had served as Post’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The news comes as Post Holdings is in the process of closing an acquisition of Perfection Pet Foods.

Post declined to comment further about the succession protocol including whether Zadoks would take on the CEO role on a permanent basis should Vitale feel the need to step down from the role.

A spokesperson for Post Holdings did confirm that the acquisition of Perfection Pet Foods “remains on track to close on the schedule previously announced -- late in the fourth calendar quarter of 2023, Post’s first quarter of fiscal year 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.”

Vitale has led Post for the better part of a decade, and played an instrumental role in building up the company’s portfolio beyond the cereal aisle through a strategy that has seen the company acquire Bob Evans refrigerated sides, Peter Pan peanut butter, and Weetabix. As Food Dive wrote in a recent profile of the CEO, during his tenure Vitale helped grow Post from a legacy cereal brand into “a category leader in everything from refrigerated sides and bagged cereal to liquid eggs and cut potatoes.”

Earlier this year, the company expanded into pet care, acquiring a series of pet food brands from The J.M. Smucker Co. – including Nature’s Recipe and Rachael Ray Nutrish. The news of Vitale’s leave of absence arrives in the wake of Post Holdings expanding further in the category, agreeing last month to acquire Perfection Pet Foods for $235 million, pending customary closing conditions. The deal is expected to close before the end of the year and Post anticipates the acquisition adding around $20 million in value to its business for 2024.

The news also coincides with Post announcing its 2023 preliminary financial results and 2024 outlook.

"Our fourth quarter was the culmination of an exceptional fiscal year,” Zadoks said in a statement, “driven by tremendous Foodservice results, significant price realization and supply chain improvements within our retail businesses and a strong start to our recently acquired pet food business.”