United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI)  has appointed Chris Finck as the new president of its Atlantic region, effective May 1, 2022, filling the vacancy left by Mark Bushway’s promotion to chief supply chain officer in January.
Finck will lead the Providence, RI-based wholesaler’s Atlantic region sales team with accountability to support customers with UNFI’s full portfolio of comprehensive products and services. The region covers a wide territory from Virginia through New England where many of UNFI key independent retailers are based. He will report to UNFI’s chief customer officer Steve Dietz.
Finck joins UNFI after 34 years of commercial, sales, marketing, operations, and general management experience. Over the past five years, he served as chief commercial officer for Dean Foods and for Treehouse Foods. At both companies he played a key leadership role in broker network and contract management, go-to-market organization, and improving customer profitability. Prior to his work at Treehouse Foods, Finck spent time at Grupo Bimbo as chief customer officer and Sara Lee as SVP-sales for its bakery division.
“Chris is a well-rounded, highly passionate, and results-driven leader with a strong track record for building effective teams and delivering strategic sales capabilities,” said Dietz. “With his leadership background and significant experience in the food industry, Chris understands the challenges facing today’s marketplace and, along with the Atlantic Region team, will provide innovative and meaningful solutions that help our customers grow and succeed.”
Prior to his work at Grupo Bimbo SAV, Finck spent nearly 20 years with PepsiCo, holding positions of increasing responsibility, including account manager, regional sales manager, and market development manager for Pepsi Beverages; director of strategic planning and integration for Quaker Oats; and VP-U.S. sales for Gatorade.
Finck holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Towson University and an MBA from Loyola College. In addition to his work in the food industry, Finck serves on the mayor’s advisory board for the city of Naperville, IL; is a member of the board of directors for Little Friends, which provides services to those with autism and other developmental disabilities; and previously served as chairman of the board of directors for the Downtown Naperville Alliance.
