Arthur J. Schick Jr. Joins Universal Board
Arthur J. Schick Jr. will join Universal Corp.’s board of directors on April 1, 2023, at which time the board will expand to nine directors, eight of whom are independent, according to the company.
“We are thrilled to welcome Art Schick to our board of directors,” said George C. Freeman III, chairman, president and CEO of Universal Corp. “Art is an experienced, well-respected global consumer products executive with in-depth knowledge of the food and beverage industry, and he has deep-rooted expertise and knowledge of the ingredients industry from the top down. He brings tremendous value to Universal, with over four decades of experience in ingredients, strategic supplier development, procurement, operations, international supply chain management and product research and development.”
Schick is a 35-year veteran of PepsiCo, where he served his last 17 years as the vice president of proprietary flavors within the beverage concentrate division. In that role, Schick led PepsiCo’s organization that manufactured all proprietary flavors for the company’s global beverage brands and led the global sourcing strategies and supply chain management for the organization. Schick also spent over a decade as a contributing board member for the Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA), the premier national association of the U.S. flavor industry, serving as FEMA’s president in 2013. Schick currently serves as president of Alpha Sierra Global, a company providing strategic and operational consulting to companies focused on consumer products, flavor compounding and ingredients.
“When presented with the opportunity to serve on Universal’s board of directors, I was impressed with the company’s long and successful history in international tobacco operations, and I was excited about the tremendous upside potential for the company as it expands its plant-based ingredients platform,” said Schick. “Universal already has a strong foundation and sustainable strategy to position itself as a leader in the ingredients space. I look forward to working with my fellow directors and the company’s management team as Universal charts its course for a bright future.”