WASHINGTON – Ahmet Hepdogan, senior vice president, supply chain and procurement, North America for Dawn Foods, has been named chair of the American Bakers Association’s Commodity and Agricultural (CAPC) professionals group. He succeeds Hayden Wands, vice president of global procurement, commodities for Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, who served as CAPC chair for 16 years.

Hepdogan has over 20 years of experience leading procurement and supply chain organizations. Since joining Dawn Foods in 2022, he has led the North American procurement team and represented the company within the vendor community. Previously he held leadership positions at Ferrera Candy Co., Aryzta, US Foods and C.H. Robinson.

“We are excited to welcome Ahmet to the role of chair of the CAPC professionals group,” said Eric Dell, president and chief executive officer of the ABA. “With his extensive expertise and commitment to supporting the baking industry, we are confident that Ahmet will build on the strong foundation laid by his predecessors. ABA is fortunate to have dedicated leaders like Hayden and Ahmet helping to steer the direction of our professionals groups, and we look forward to working together to drive continued growth and success for the baking category.”

Wand over his 30-plus years in the industry has worked for Bartlett, ADM Milling, Farmland Grain, Cargill Milling, Sara Lee and Bimbo Bakeries USA. He has experience in grain trading, wheat procurement, flour sales and bakery ingredient procurement. Wand has served as chairman of the Wheat Foods Council and chairman of the Wheat Quality Council, and he was a member of both the Kansas City Board of Trade and the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. He received degrees in milling science management and business marketing from Kansas State University, where he was named a 2023 Distinguished KSU Alumni Fellow.

“We are incredibly grateful for Hayden’s leadership and dedication throughout his nearly two decades serving as the CAPC chair,” said Rasma Zvaners, ABA vice president of government relations. “Under his stewardship, the CAPC professionals group made significant strides in addressing challenges baking manufacturing have faced. Hayden has been an invaluable asset to ABA, and we thank him for the unwavering commitment to advancing the industry’s shared goals.”