Washington, DC - The American Bakers Association (ABA) announced the transition of leadership for its Commodity and Agricultural Policy (CAPC) Professionals Group. After serving a successful sixteen years as the CAPC Professionals Group Chair, Hayden Wands, Vice President of Global Procurement, Commodities for Grupo Bimbo, concluded his tenure last week and Ahmet Hepdogan, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain & Procurement, North America for Dawn Foods, was introduced as the group’s new Chair.
The CAPC Professionals Group serves as a platform for stakeholders in the baking industry to address critical issues related to trade, sustainability, market volatility, and commodity transportation. The group’s members play a vital role in advancing the policy priorities impacting the commercial baking sector and ensuring that its interests are strongly represented in key discussions on Capitol Hill.
“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 has faced. Hayden has been an invaluable asset to ABA, and we thank him for the unwavering commitment to advancing the industry’s shared goals.”
ABA is honored to have this important leadership position filled by Ahmet, who brings a wealth of knowledge to the role with more than 20 years of experience leading world-class procurement and supply chain organizations. Ahmet has been an active member of the CAPC Professionals Group with a deep understanding of the commodity and agricultural policy landscape.
“We are excited to welcome Ahmet to the role of Chair of the CAPC Professionals Group,” said Eric Dell, ABA President and CEO. “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.”
For more information about ABA and its professional groups, please visit www.americanbakers.org.
During his 30 plus years of experience in the industry, Hayden Wands has had various positions with companies such as Bartlett, ADM Milling, Farmland Grain, Cargill Milling, Sara Lee, and Bimbo Bakeries USA. His experience includes grain trading, wheat procurement, flour sales, and bakery ingredient procurement. In addition to serving as Chair of the ABA CAPC Professionals Group, Hayden has served as the Chairman the Wheat Foods Council, Chairman of the Wheat Quality Council, and a member of both the Kansas City Board of Trade and the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. Hayden is a graduate from Kansas State University (KSU) with degrees in Milling Science Management and Business Marketing and is a 2023 Distinguished KSU Alumni Fellow.
Ahmet Hepdogan has more than 20 years of experience leading world-class procurement and supply chain organizations. In his role as Senior Vice President, Supply Chain & Procurement, North America for Dawn Foods, Ahmet oversees Dawn’s Distribution Services and Supply Chain while continuing to lead Procurement efforts in the region. Since joining Dawn in 2022, Hepdogan has led the North American procurement team and has become a key representative of Dawn within the vendor community. Before Dawn, Ahmet held key leadership positions at Ferrera, ARYZTA, U.S. Foods, and C.H. Robinson. As Chief Procurement Officer at Ferrera and Senior Vice President of Procurement at ARYZTA, he developed successful partnerships and improved supply chain processes, always focusing on mutually beneficial relationships internally with cross functional partners and externally with customers and suppliers.
About the American Bakers Association
The American Bakers Association (ABA) is the largest, most established, and diverse trade association for the commercial baking industry in the United States. ABA’s community includes more than 350 member companies representing over 1,200 commercial baking facilities and the extensive industry supply chain.
Since 1897, ABA has served as the voice of the baking industry, offering compelling advocacy, insightful thought leadership, and comprehensive research on industry trends. ABA members also benefit from extensive business services including premier networking events, impactful knowledge sharing, and effective workforce development programs and training resources. ABA is committed to enhancing its mission by growing the category and promoting the industry as the destination workplace.
