Ocean Spray CEO fired over harassment allegation

Bobby Chacko, the CEO of Ocean Spray Cranberries, has been fired from his position amid allegations he violated the company’s policy against harassment.

Chacko was appointed chief executive of the agricultural cooperative in 2018 having served as chief growth officer since 2017.

Prior to joining Ocean Spray, he was regional president of Mars Drinks. During his career, he has also held positions at The Coca-Cola Company, AB InBev and GE Capital.

Ocean Spray has named James White as interim CEO, effective immediately.

“At Ocean Spray, we have pledged to hold everyone accountable and ensure that every decision is made in the best interest of the cooperative,” said Peter Dhillon, chairman of the Ocean Spray board of directors.

“It should be noted that Bobby Chacko helped to right the ship at Ocean Spray and set us on a new path. However, no matter how valuable someone’s contributions may be, we simply cannot accept a violation of our company policy.”

James White currently serves as chairman of the board of Fair Trade USA and previously served on the board of the Network of Executive Women. 

Dhillon added: “In James White, we have an interim CEO who has served as a board advisor and is well acquainted with the growth plan we have laid out.

“Combine that knowledge with his remarkable track record at other leading brands, including in the beverage space, and we believe James is ideally suited to keep Ocean Spray on a path to success in the immediate future.” 

Ocean Spray said it has begun the search for a permanent CEO.