Hazel Technologies, Inc. has appointed Parker Booth as its new CEO and Jeff Leshuk as its new CRO. Booth was previously their COO and had extensive experience in the produce business and scaling up. Leshuk has experience in strategy, marketing, and business development in the food science and postharvest technology industries. The company aims to reduce food waste through innovative products in the worldwide fresh food supply chain.
Matthew Walker, the Chairman of the Board for Hazel Technologies, Inc., announced today that Parker Booth had been appointed as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Booth was promoted from his previous position as Hazel’s Chief Operating Officer, which he had held since 2019. Walker also announced that Jeff Leshuk would join Hazel as the new Chief Revenue Officer, reporting directly to Booth.
Both Booth and Leshuk possess a wealth of experience in growing and scaling businesses across the fresh produce, postharvest packaging, and AgTech industries. In addition, Aidan Mouat, Hazel’s previous CEO and co-founder will remain with the company in an advisory capacity.
“We are confident in Parker’s leadership. Under his vision and guidance, he can help move Hazel beyond the start-up phase to one rooted in real global expansion, adoption, and execution. The path Parker is plotting for Hazel is an exciting one; we’re all looking forward to seeing it come to life over the next few years,” commented Walker
Kevin Murphy, a Hazel Board Member and former CEO/President of Driscoll’s, also commented on the recent appointments, saying, “Parker has a long history in the produce business from various perspectives – container shipping, shelf-life extension, and value-added products with companies of varying sizes. This deep experience has been instrumental in his success as the COO and will be invaluable as he takes on the CEO role at Hazel. It all adds up to Parker being the right leader to build on Hazel’s success and shepherd the company through this next phase of international expansion.”
Booth, who also serves as a Hazel Technologies Board Member, brings a heightened focus to the “global” aspect of the company’s mission: to develop and deliver innovative products that reduce food waste in the worldwide fresh food supply chain. With extensive experience deploying various shelf-life extension technologies in agricultural markets worldwide, Booth’s passion lies in scaling up – driving uptake, operationalizing growth plans, and maximizing access by breaking down market barriers. Booth demonstrated this strength while serving as Hazel’s COO, overseeing the company’s international market expansion, which included the development of critical production and distribution partnerships.
In 2022, Booth led the acquisition of complementary technology, which has since become instrumental in revenue growth in Hazel’s North America, LATAM, and EMEA regions. Inspired more than ever by Hazel’s cause and its range of technologies that support it, Booth believes that the team at Hazel is uniquely positioned to have an outsized impact on the world’s fresh food supply chain.
With the appointment of Parker Booth as Hazel’s new CEO, the company is ready to take on the next phase of international expansion, adoption, and execution. Booth’s experience in deploying various shelf-life extension technologies in agricultural markets worldwide, coupled with Jeff Leshuk’s experience in driving revenue growth, makes them the ideal leadership team to help Hazel scale and achieve its mission of reducing food waste in the global fresh food supply chain.
Photo by Hitoshi Namura on Unsplash
