Kimberly-Clark has appointed Craig Smith as the new vice president and managing director of Kimberly-Clark Australia and New Zealand (KCANZ).

Smith was most recently vice president and general manager for Kimberly-Clark Canada, successfully leading the business since March 2015 and serving as a key leader on Kimberly-Clark North America’s Leadership Team.

Smith joined Kimberly-Clark in 2009 as the brand director on Kleenex North America. In 2012 he moved to the United Kingdom to lead the Family Care business in MEA (Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa). In 2014, he was appointed leader of the combined EMEA Family Care business when the company integrated the UK/Western Europe and MEA businesses.

Smith said he is thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the Australia and New Zealand business for Kimberly-Clark.

“I am eager to continue driving business growth through our ambitious local strategy and progress innovative solutions to strengthen our portfolio of trusted leading brands like Huggies®, Kleenex and U by Kotex. I’m excited to hit the ground running to achieve success in partnership with the dynamic and talented team here in ANZ.”

Smith has more than twenty years of experience leading brands and businesses at consumer product companies. Prior to Kimberly-Clark, he spent thirteen years at General Mills where he held various roles in marketing, channel, and business unit management. While there he was responsible for leading brands such as Cheerios, Total, and Betty Crocker. Craig started his career at Nabisco where he spent two years on the Oreo business.

Smith has relocated to Sydney, Australia and officially started in the role on 1 January 2018, transitioning responsibility from Yuval Dagim who has been the managing director for KCANZ since July 2016. Yuval departs his role at Kimberly-Clark to pursue a new career opportunity in his home country of Israel.