SECAUCUS, N.J. – Freshpet Inc. recently named Dr. Gerardo Perez-Camargo to lead the company’s product innovation efforts in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as vice president of research and development.

Perez-Camargo joins Freshpet from Nestle Purina where he led the Global Pet Welfare and Behavior team. He also worked for Mars Inc. in various leadership roles. He brings 25 years of pet nutrition, welfare, and research and development to his new post at Freshpet.

“We are excited to have Gerardo join the Freshpet team with his incredible depth of experience in pet health and wellness,” said Scott Morris, co-founder and president of Freshpet. “We believe Gerardo’s future contributions will help us to fulfill our mission of providing more pets with fresh, all-natural foods that enrich their lives and the relationships with their pet parents, and we remain committed to doing so in ways that are good for our pets, for people, and for our planet.”

Perez-Camargo managed the Global Pet Welfare team that developed and implemented common pet welfare standards, product performance evaluation and data validation across 15 countries. During his tenure at Mars Inc., he was a veterinary diet product developer pet nutritionist at the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition, a research organization owned by Mars.

Before joining Mars, Perez-Camargo served in the Spanish Army where he was a lieutenant in the Veterinary Corps working with Equine Breeding for Spanish Army Horses and with the Police Canine Units. He earned his degree in Veterinary Medicine in Spain and a Ph.D. in Applied Biochemistry and Food Science from the Univ. of Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.