Morgan Samuels Company Recruits Chief Marketing Officer for Horizon Family Brands
November 20, 2025 – Nashville, TN-based executive search firm Morgan Samuels Company has assisted in the recruitment of Andrew Springate as chief marketing officer of Horizon Family Brands, part of the Platinum Equity portfolio. Bert Hensley, Ken Wilcox, Stacy Fitzgerald, Justin Kai Ossola, Dana Pontious, Heidi Simons, and Raquel De La Vega led the assignment.
“Andrew is a strong fit for this next phase as the company sharpens brand, innovation, and multi-unit scale,” Morgan Samuels Company said in a LinkedIn post. “Grateful for the partnership from the Horizon and Platinum teams and proud of the Morgan Samuels crew who drove this search. The firm is looking forward to seeing Andrew’s impact in this next chapter.”
“We are incredibly excited to have Andrew join our leadership team at Horizon Family Brands,” said Tyler Holm, CEO of Horizon Family Brands. “He is a trailblazer who will drive our brand-building initiatives, lead our innovation pipeline, and collaborate closely across teams to fuel accelerated growth. His deep and proven experience building strong brands and creating highly engaged and focused teams positions him to be a fantastic and high-impact leader at Horizon Family Brands.”
Mr. Springate comes to Horizon Family Brands with more than 25 years of experience within the food and beverage industry, building iconic brands by tapping into deep consumer insights. He takes a transformative, modern approach to marketing that ultimately leads to strong, sustained growth.
Mr. Springate was the CMO at Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) for eight years, where he led Dr Pepper to become the second largest soft drink brand in the U.S. He and his team achieved this milestone through a thoughtful growth plan, breakthrough product innovation and engaging integrated marketing and advertising campaigns. During his KDP tenure, he oversaw brand strategy and marketing activation of more than 125 brands generating sales of over $14 billion across beverage categories. Throughout his more than 20 years at KDP, Mr. Springate managed teams and initiatives spanning across marketing and sales functions. He has also served on the board of directors and as vice chair of the American Beverage Association (ABA).
“Horizon Organic is a pioneer in organic dairy and the largest USDA-certified organic milk and dairy brand in the world,” said Mr. Springate. “It’s a phenomenal brand and I appreciate the affinity Horizon Organic has with its consumers. I look forward to deepening our understanding of those consumers to drive impactful results.”
Mr. Springate will lead marketing, innovation, consumer insights & analytics, and research & development for Horizon as he partners with the sales team to drive accelerated brand growth.
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Horizon Family Brands is currently comprised of market leaders Horizon Organic and Wallaby Organic. These two legacy brands have helped shape the organic movement and have also nourished families for decades. The mission of Horizon Family Brands is to inspire healthier living, which nourishes the collective potential for good.
Proven Search Firm
Established in 1969, Morgan Samuels Company maintains a 60-day median cycle time and a 42 percent diversity placement rate. The firm’s stated mission is “to place exceptional and diverse talent in extraordinary roles across all industries and functions.” Mr. Hensley is chairman and CEO of Morgan Samuels. Since acquiring a controlling interest in Morgan Samuels in 1997, Bert has led the firm with a commitment to operational excellence, championing Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to create a best-in-class infrastructure that ensures consistently outstanding results for clients.
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As a senior client partner, Mr. Wilcox is focused on representing his clients with an unparalleled standard of excellence, while also advocating for best-in-class talent to support the needs of his clients. He has spent three decades in the corporate arena, having served as a senior executive for some of the world’s most iconic global brands (Gatorade, Frito Lay, Pepsi-Cola, IBM, Borden Dairy Company, Campbell Soup, and others). Mr. Wilcox has led small, medium, and large-sized organizations, in sales, marketing, operations, and customer experience, and in several cases doing so with a global footprint.
Since joining Morgan Samuels in 2007, Ms. Fitgerald has made her way from research consultant to consultant to senior engagement director and now, principal. She is adept at executing and securing search assignments and has found success across all functions in a range of market sectors. Ms. Fitgerald specializes in consumer products and retail, technology, transportation, and aerospace.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
