McGuckin takes over the helm from Clio’s founder Sergey Konchakovskiy, who is moving into a new role as executive chairman.
“I’m excited for this next chapter for Clio, where I will be moving into a role where I can focus on what I’m most passionate about: innovation and our future category disruption,” said Konchakovskiy.
“It’s been both a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a dream to build Clio from scratch and lead us through the past six years.
“As Clio continues to grow so quickly, I’m honoured to have John join us as CEO. With his unparalleled track record building some of the fastest-growing CPG brands to mainstream recognition, he has a powerful, forward-thinking vision for Clio’s future and I can’t wait to see what’s next for us.”
McGuckin joins Clio Snacks at a pivotal time, emerging as one of the remarkable growth stories of the new millennium.
Founded in 2015, the producer has solidified itself as a category disruptor, with its refrigerated bar brand on a trajectory ride in both units and dollars. Its line of better-for-you handheld Greek Yogurt Bars and Granola & Yogurt Parfait Bars combine the benefits of whole milk Greek yoghurt – high in protein and probiotics – with a cheesecake-like texture and chocolate coating.
Earlier this year, Clio took permissible indulgence to new levels with the launch of Less-Sugar Greek Yogurt Bars and Granola & Yogurt Parfait Bars to appeal to a wider audience, including sugar-conscious consumers and keto dieters. The products have proven to be highly incremental to the brand – in fact, according to Walmart’s internal data for August, Clio’s innovation was 92% incremental.
On the precipice of massive growth
McGuckin brings to the table his leadership vision from past roles with consumer packaging brands like Sabra, Lakeview Farms and Tribe Mediterranean Foods. During his tenure at Sabra, he helped forge the company’s evolution from $10m start-up to $500m branded leader.
“Over the course of my career, I’ve developed a keen eye for identifying brands on the precipice of massive growth – and I see it in Clio,” said McGuckin.
“Sergey has done an unbelievable job building this company, taking it from a unique, never-before-seen idea to one of the fastest-growing companies in the refrigerated bar category, and one of the largest in the grocery store.
“Over the years, Clio has demonstrated time and time again that it’s ahead of the curve with its incredible product innovations, all of which appeal to a wide, diverse range of consumers. We’re just scratching the surface of our potential, which is why I’m looking forward to helping guide Clio on this next evolution as we continue to scale and grow into a household name.”
Watch this space
Julian Steinberg, co-founder and managing partner of Alliance Consumer Growth (ACG) and board member of Clio Snacks, added, “Clio is growing exceptionally fast, and is quickly becoming a company to watch in this space. With his background and experience, John is the perfect choice to scale Clio as we look toward our next phase of growth.”
The US snack brand has also appointed Rachel Moore as its new chief marketing officer.