Freshpet Inc. announced that its board of directors has named veteran consumer packaged goods executive William ("Billy") Cyr as the company's chief executive officer, effective Sept. 6.

The company also expects that Cyr will join the company's board of directors at that time.Cyr, formerly of Palmerton, joins Freshpet with more than 30 years of experience in key consumer packaged foods leadership roles at Sunny Delight Beverages Company and Procter & Gamble Company.Most recently, he served for almost 12 years as president and chief executive officer of Sunny Delight, a leading producer, distributor and marketer of juices, juice drinks and flavored waters in North America serving a wide range of customers in the grocery, club, mass merchandise, convenience, dollar and drug channels.While at Sunny Delight, Cyr oversaw the company's multinational operations, building a team of over 600 employees with operations in eight countries and successfully engineered the company's turnaround plan returning the company to growth and profitability.Cyr brings a strong track record of strategic leadership to Freshpet. Over his nearly 20-year tenure at Procter & Gamble beginning in 1985, Cyr held numerous senior executive roles, including most recently serving as vice president and general manager of the North American Juice Business and Global Nutritional Beverages. In this position, he led a team of more than 500 employees across five manufacturing facilities and two continents. He led brand growth and marketing over the years for leading packaged foods brands including Crisco and Duncan Hines.Cyr served as a board and executive committee member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a position he held since 2002.He has been a member of the board of directors of American Beverage Association since 2007, and on the executive committee since 2012.