NEW YORK — Michael J. Barkley has been named president and chief operating officer of Kind Healthy Snacks. He succeeds John D. Leahy, who will assume a strategic adviser role in retirement.

Mr. Barkley most recently was with Pinnacle Foods, where he was president of Boulder Brands from May 2017 to August 2018. While at Pinnacle, he was a chief marketing officer, senior vice-president and general manager of meals and sides, and senior vice-president of Birds Eye Frozen Foods. Prior to Pinnacle, he was vice-president and general manager of healthy beverages at Campbell Soup Co. He began his career as a senior product manager at Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo, Inc.

He received a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in business administration from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Mr. Leahy joined Kind in 2010 and has been credited with helping fuel the company’s growth from a business that sold 9 whole nut bars to one that now offers more than 70 different snacks. He also played a pivotal role in the company entering the club channel and launched key accounts in the mass merchandise industry.

“John had an illustrious career before Kind and took a chance on us when he came to our overcrowded office running in start-up mode,” said Daniel Lubetzky, founder and chief executive officer. “We were lucky that he even looked our way. I owe a tremendous amount to John, not just for his mastery of the business and desire to service customers with excellence and long-term orientation, but also for his loyalty, mentorship, exemplary work ethic and values, and ability to have fun along the way. While I will miss our daily partnership, ours is a lifetime friendship that will endure.”