Newell Brands Hires Ralph Nicoletti As CFO

Newell Brands Inc. NWL revealed that it named Ralph Nicoletti as its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective June 8, 2016. According to the company, the move comes after the recent combination of Newell Rubbermaid and Jarden Corporation that closed on April 15 thus, forming a new $16 billion consumer goods powerhouse. Newell Brands said that Nicoletti served as the CFO of global, publicly-traded corporations for nearly a decade. He joins the company from Tiffany & Company where he led the worldwide financial and information technology functions as its EVP and CFO. Before Tiffany & Company, he was Chief Financial Officer of CIGNA Corporation and Alberto Culver, and held different senior finance positions at Kraft Foods. That included SVP of Finance of Kraft Foods North America. The company's CEO, Michael Polk, commented about the hiring to say, "I am very pleased to welcome Ralph to the Newell Brands executive team. Ralph brings over thirty years of finance experience to the company and has a very strong track record leading financial functions and executing growth strategies at a number of successful publicly-traded, global companies. Ralph's appointment is indicative of the world-class talent we are attracting as a $16 billion company with a portfolio of leading consumer brands. Ralph will be a key partner to me in helping Newell Brands scale our operating model, deliver our growth and financial objectives, and tell the Newell Brands story to our investors." For his part, Nicoletti reacted to the appointment saying that "I am excited to join Newell Brands during such a transformational time in the company's history. The creation of Newell Brands presents many exciting opportunities, and I look forward to leveraging my experience to help the team achieve its business goals, build the finance function, and drive the company to realize its full potential." The stock traded 0.64% down on Friday.