Manoj Rana has been named vice president of corporate and business development at Ardent Mills. He will work to align priorities, projects and strategic initiatives to enable growth for Ardent Mills and its customers. An emphasis will be placed on opportunities within the nutrition space.

Rana has nearly 15 years of global experience. He previously worked at Tyson Foods, where he led corporate development initiatives, and at Deutsche Bank Consumer Investment banking group, where he advised corporate clients predominantly in the food sector.

“As plant-based food trends continue to grow, this is a very exciting time to join Ardent Mills,” Rana says. “The company has tremendous history in this space and strong momentum following several significant and recent investments — from multiple acquisitions in alternative grains like quinoa, chickpea and gluten-free, to investments in people, technology and infrastructure. Ardent Mills is truly at the forefront of emerging nutrition, and I look forward to supporting this continued growth for years to come."

Rana will report to Angie Goldberg, chief growth officer at Denver-based Ardent Mills.

"Ardent Mills is focused on driving growth for our customers, and Manoj's extensive leadership experience in the corporate development space will be an integral part of Ardent Mills' long-term strategy to cultivate the future of alternative grains," Goldberg says.