Hill’s makes three leadership appointments across people and sales
Bottom line
Hill’s Pet Nutrition said on August 20 that it has made three leadership appointments across its people and customer development teams: Wendy Boise will serve as executive vice president of People, Keith Wilkinson has been promoted to senior vice president of Global Customer Development, and Carolyn Belloni is joining to lead the company’s US Customer Development Organization. Boise comes from Hill’s parent company, Colgate-Palmolive, where she most recently led global talent, learning, and organization development. Wilkinson, a longtime Colgate-Palmolive and Hill’s executive, moves into a global commercial role after leading US customer development, while Belloni joins from Targeted Pet Care, where she was chief sales officer. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is less about a routine personnel update and more about where Hill’s appears to be placing its bets: talent infrastructure, AI-enabled employee support, and broader commercial execution across retail and veterinary channels. Hill’s president Yvonne Hsu said Boise will help integrate new technology and AI into the people function, and the company said Wilkinson’s new role will focus on expanding Hill’s footprint and partnerships internationally. That matters because Hill’s remains one of the most influential prescription and science-led nutrition players in veterinary practice, and leadership changes in customer development can shape how clinics, distributors, and pet parents experience the brand. (petfoodprocessing.net)
What to watch: Watch for how quickly Belloni puts her stamp on US channel strategy, and whether Wilkinson’s global remit translates into new veterinary partnership initiatives outside the US. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Hill’s Pet Nutrition is reshaping parts of its senior leadership bench, announcing three appointments that touch both internal operations and commercial execution. The company named Wendy Boise executive vice president of People, promoted Keith Wilkinson to senior vice president of Global Customer Development, and brought in Carolyn Belloni to lead the US Customer Development Organization. The moves were announced August 20 and come as Hill’s continues to evolve under president Yvonne Hsu. (petfoodprocessing.net)
The appointments fit into a broader period of leadership transition at Hill’s and parent company Colgate-Palmolive. In June 2025, Colgate-Palmolive promoted then-Hill’s president John Hazlin to chief growth officer, with Hsu later taking over as president of Hill’s in 2025. More recently, Hill’s also named Karen Shenoy, DVM, as global chief veterinary officer, signaling continued investment in leadership across both the veterinary and commercial sides of the business. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Boise’s appointment stands out because it ties Hill’s more closely to Colgate-Palmolive’s enterprise talent strategy. According to Hill’s announcement, Boise spent more than 26 years at Colgate-Palmolive and most recently served as executive vice president of Global Talent, Learning and Organization Development. In that role, she oversaw talent acquisition, succession, leadership development, and career frameworks across the parent company. Hsu said Boise will help elevate the employee experience and lead the integration of new technology and AI to provide faster, more personalized support for employees in the coming year. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Wilkinson’s promotion suggests Hill’s wants to scale a US commercial playbook internationally. He joined Colgate-Palmolive in 2005, moved to Hill’s in 2017, later served as general manager for Hill’s Mexico and Latin America, and joined the US customer development team in 2023. Hill’s said that in his most recent US role, Wilkinson helped redefine the company’s go-to-market model through data-driven planning and joint value planning, contributing to record sales and share growth in the United States. In his new job, he will lead global customer development strategy with a focus on expanding Hill’s footprint and strengthening international partnerships. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Belloni’s arrival gives Hill’s a senior commercial leader with deep omnichannel experience in pet care. The company said she brings more than 20 years of commercial leadership in pet care and consumer packaged goods, most recently as chief sales officer at Targeted Pet Care. Her background includes partnerships across e-commerce, pet specialty, grocery, mass retail, and major omnichannel accounts including Chewy, Amazon, PetSmart, and Petco. That mix is notable for Hill’s, which operates across both veterinary recommendation channels and broader consumer retail distribution. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Industry reaction appears limited so far, which is common for leadership moves below the CEO level, but Hill’s own framing is revealing. Hsu emphasized Wilkinson’s ability to strengthen both retail and veterinary partnerships worldwide, while US general manager Rauf Gurbuz described Belloni as a leader suited to the next chapter of growth for the US customer development organization. Boise, for her part, said she plans to center Hill’s people strategy on inclusion and capability building. Taken together, the company is presenting these changes not as isolated hires, but as part of a growth and modernization agenda. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, Hill’s leadership changes are worth tracking because they could influence how one of the sector’s biggest nutrition companies supports clinics, field teams, and veterinary partnerships. Hill’s is still leaning into science-led positioning and veterinary engagement, as seen in its recent chief veterinary officer transition, but these latest appointments show equal emphasis on commercial coordination and internal capability. If Hill’s succeeds in linking stronger people operations, AI-supported internal systems, and more integrated customer development, practices may eventually see changes in account support, education programs, channel strategy, and how products reach pet parents through both clinics and retail. That’s an inference based on the scope of the roles and the company’s stated priorities. (dvm360.com)
What to watch: The next signals will likely be operational rather than headline-grabbing: whether Belloni reshapes US account strategy, whether Wilkinson launches new global partnership structures, and whether Boise’s AI and workforce agenda shows up in hiring, field support, or cross-functional execution over the next 6 to 12 months. (petfoodprocessing.net)