LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, MASS. — The board of directors of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. has promoted Bobby J. Chacko to president and chief executive officer. He succeeds Randy Papadellis, who said in February he would be stepping down.

Mr. Chacko joined the company in 2017 as chief growth officer and most recently has been president and chief operating officer since January. Prior to joining Ocean Spray he was regional president of Mars Drinks. He has more than 20 years of entrepreneurial and leadership experience encompassing strategy, innovation, marketing and commercialization at companies including The Coca-Cola Co., AB InBev and GE Capital.

“When we first met Bobby, it quickly became clear we had found what we were looking for, a tremendous leader that could lead the next generation of talent at Ocean Spray,” said Peter Dhillon, chairman of the Ocean Spray board of directors. “This announcement is the culmination of more than a year of work by our c.e.o. succession committee. We spent a lot of time evaluating the needs of the business, speaking to stakeholders, and ultimately looked at several candidates both internal and external. Bobby was the clear choice.”

Mr. Chacko said he was “truly honored” for the chance to lead Ocean Spray.

“Since joining Ocean Spray last year, I’ve been so impressed with the people behind the cooperative, 700 family farms and more than 2,000 colleagues all working together to connect farms and families,” he said. “Ocean Spray’s story is close to nine decades old, but we are just getting started. I want to thank the board, growers and my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to write the next chapter with them.”