Brian Wynne joined Acosta in 2020 as Chief Executive Officer.

Brian is a seasoned senior executive with more than 30 years in the packaged goods industry. He has held executive positions in organizations spanning several categories, both in traditional CPG companies as well service-centric businesses.

Brian spent over 20 years working in various leadership roles in the Coca-Cola System, culminating with his role as President of the North American Still Beverages Unit. He also served as CEO of US Nutrition and North American President for the Nature’s Bounty Company and, most recently, served as Interim CEO of the Keebler business.

Over the course of his career, Brian has held senior leadership roles across a wide range of functions, including general management, branding, operations, commercial, human resources and sales.

Brian earned a bachelor's degree from Villanova University.

Darian Pickett joined Acosta in 1991 as a Business Manager after graduating from the University of North Texas and was appointed CEO in July 2019. Throughout his career, he has contributed to virtually every area of Acosta’s sales business and has held numerous operational positions spanning sales leadership, sales strategy/operations, client services, customer marketing, analytics, business management and retail management functional areas.

His executive leadership roles as Chief Client Officer, President of Sales, President of Strategic Channels and EVP Business Development are a reflection of his responsibility for the total client experience and sales execution across all Acosta lines of business. Darian’s entire Acosta career has provided him broad perspective positioning him for the role of CEO of Acosta's Sales Agency.

Over the years, Darian has consistently led by example in exhibiting a steadfast commitment to operating according to the company’s core values, engaging our associates, building deep and trusting client relationships, and ensuring Acosta’s operating model remains sound so we can deliver continued growth.

He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.

Chandra McCormack joined Acosta in 2020 as Chief Financial Officer.

Chandra is an accomplished CFO with 25 years of financial leadership experience in public and private companies, including nearly 20 years in the consumer packaged food and product industry. Chandra has a strong reputation as a strategic leader who repeatedly delivers high levels of team engagement and EBITDA growth through a combination of people, systems and financial acumen.

Chandra has served in CFO roles in several retail, restaurant and CPG companies, including 13 years with Dean Foods Company in various financial leadership roles. She is a certified public accountant and earned her MBA from UT Arlington.

Chandra has been awarded as one of Progressive Grocer's 2021 Top Women in Grocery. She was recognized as a CFO of the Year Honoree by the Dallas Business Journal in 2019 and 2016 and one of the Top 15 Business Women of Dallas by the National Women’s Council in 2016. She has also received The Texas Diversity Magazine’s inaugural Dallas Power 50 award in 2018, which recognizes the city’s most powerful and influential women.

John Carroll joined Acosta in 2020 as Chief Growth Officer.

John is a proven senior executive with more than 30 years of success in consumer packaged goods, food & beverage, fast-moving consumer goods, packaging, and manufacturing. He’s a leader who is passionate about people and inspires teams to achieve exceptional results.

John has held numerous senior leadership positions in brand, sales, commercial, general management and operations. He began his career in the CPG industry in 1987 as a Territory Sales Manager at Procter & Gamble. After his time at P&G, John started with The Coca-Cola Company where he held various progressive leadership roles including Director, Coca-Cola Brand Team; Group Director, Sprite Trademark; Vice President – Shopper Insights and Marketing Solutions; Vice President Bottler Planning and Operations; and Vice President – Drug and Value Business. John was Vice President and General Manager of the Coca-Cola North America eCommerce business unit, leading the development and overall management of the company’s eCommerce vision and roadmap, including commercial and marketing strategies, customer development, supply chain, and new business models.

John earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Communications from Florida State University and a Certificate in Advanced Financial Management from Emory University. He has received several prestigious awards for his work including Winner Best Global Advertising for Sprite and Supplier of The Year for several customers. He sits on several boards and is a guest lecturer at The University of South Florida and Auburn University.

Mike Van Aken joined Acosta in 2021 as Chief Human Resources Officer.

Mike is an experienced leader with more than 20 years of human resources experience across large public organizations, smaller privately held businesses, and startups.

Mike has held several HR leadership positions, key accomplishments include designing global diversity and inclusion councils and initiatives; implementing leadership-level learning and development programs; and implementing large-scale transformation projects that improved diversity, efficiency, effectiveness, and the employee experience.

Mike earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. John’s University School of Law in Queens, NY, and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Fordham University in the Bronx. He actively volunteers as an ambassador for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, serves on the executive committee for the St. John’s Law Labor & Employment Center, and coaches youth sports.

Sharon Hart joined Acosta in 2020 as Chief Information Officer.

With more than 20 years of experience, and as an established transformational leader in both the CPG and retail industries, Hart is well equipped to deliver omnichannel technology and digital solutions to drive sales growth at Acosta.

Most recently, Hart served as CIO and Senior Vice President, Information Systems, for Stein Mart where she optimized the company’s IT operational and strategic investments through a keen focus on business operations and growth. This included leveraging technology to transform digital customer-centric solutions such as endless aisle, mobile point of sale and smart fulfillment. She also led efforts to implement a hybrid cloud strategy and created a cyber security roadmap.

Prior to Stein Mart, Hart spent 15 years at Petsmart, ultimately serving as interim CIO and Vice President, Information Systems, spearheading the transformation of numerous technology functions. She previously held leadership roles with Accenture and the Department of Transportation.

Hart earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from the University of Texas and completed the Stanford Executive Program through Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Jeremy Benedict joined Acosta in 2020 as Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer.

Jeremy was attracted to Acosta for our strong talent, our commitment to provide best-in-class solutions to clients and customers, and our solid financial position. As an expert in talent-led transformation, he recognizes that Acosta has great clients and customers, and exceptional employees, and is excited to bring those pieces even closer together.

Most recently, Jeremy spent three years in C-level roles at Access, a global provider of information management services. His tenure has included roles as Chief People Officer, Chief People and Strategy Officer, and, most recently, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer. While at Access, Jeremy enabled rapid growth and expanded value to clients by ensuring the company had the right talent in the right roles, focused on the right strategy, and supported by the right culture and operating model.

Jeremy earned a master’s degree in Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

Marie Hanson joined Acosta in 2021 as Chief Sales Officer.

Marie is a proven senior executive with more than 25 years of success in consumer packaged goods. She’s a leader who is passionate about people and inspires teams to achieve exceptional results. Marie has held numerous senior leadership positions at Nabisco, Kraft Foods, Diamond Foods, and Mezzetta.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. Also, Marie actively participates in the following non-profit organizations; Fore Country, supporting Military personnel and NextUp, which is an established and growing organization dedicated to the mission of advancing all women in business.

Naomi Saladin joined Acosta in 2022 as Chief Talent Officer.

Naomi has over 25 years of business and human resources experience in consumer packed goods and consumer electronics. She has a strong reputation of leading talent strategy development and driving large-scale transformational change.

Naomi has held multiple senior HR positions with Chamberlain Group, Coca-Cola, and Motorola. In these roles, Naomi led transformational change of HR processes and systems and advanced talent and DEI strategies.

She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and her Masters of Arts, Labor, and Industrial Relations at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Naomi is also a board member for The Harbour, which is a nonprofit 501(c)3 agency providing emergency shelter and essential services to homeless youth in the north and northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Todd Johnson joined Acosta in 2015 as Chief Legal Officer serving as the principal legal counsel for the company. He is responsible for overseeing all legal affairs. Johnson is experienced in a wide variety of legal and regulatory issues, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial transactions and corporate governance. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Lender Processing Services. Johnson also held similar roles for two Fortune 500 publicly traded companies and was a partner in the Corporate and Securities practice group of Holland & Knight, LLP. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Association of Corporate Counsel, Society of Governance Professionals and National Association of Corporate Directors. Johnson is a board member of Communities In Schools and serves on the board of advisors for JAXUSA Partnership. He is a graduate of Leadership Jacksonville, Class of 2012 and a past member of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. A graduate of the Duke University School of Law, Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Derek Bowen joined Acosta in 2020 as President, Marketing Services, North America.

Derek is a results-driven leader who brings over 25 years of experience to Acosta. He has a rare combination of a classical marketing background, brand building and agency experiences, all complemented by a strong financial competency.

Most recently, Derek was Senior Vice President of Brand Management at Cartograph, an Amazon-focused agency and brokerage, offering outsourced eCommerce services and hands-on execution for natural and organic CPG brands. Prior to that, Derek spent 22 years in the CPG industry holding marketing leadership roles of increasing responsibility at companies such as Procter & Gamble, Coty, and more recently at The Nature’s Bounty Company.

Derek earned his MBA in Marketing and his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.