Alice Tillett Announces Retirement, Paul Tonnesen Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Petmate

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Paul Tonnesen has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Petmate, the leading supplier and manufacturer of pet products. He will be taking the helm following a decade of strong leadership and growth under Alice Tillett. She will remain in a consulting capacity to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

Tonnesen, previously CEO of Oregon Tool and group global president of Fiskars, joins Petmate with more than three decades of experience in consumer products leading global, billion-dollar suppliers and manufacturers, producing innovative solutions and serving as a key partner to customers in dynamic industries with evolving sales channels. With extensive executive and board member experience, Tonnesen has used his robust network of contacts and industry experience to successfully lead organizations across the consumer landscape.

Tonnesen stated, “I am honored to serve as Petmate’s next CEO and look forward to working alongside the talented Petmate team to grow relationships with our customers and partners and expand on the strong foundation of the business. I’d like to thank Alice for her guidance and strategic leadership of the business as well as the capital and strategic support of our new ownership group, I am incredibly excited for the future and confident we will continue to support Petmate’s customers with a best-in-class portfolio of innovative pet products and brands.”

Tillett stated, “It has been my greatest pleasure to lead the dedicated Petmate team over the past 10 years. I am extremely proud of our employees and their unwavering commitment to the company and to our customers. Our team’s resilience over the years has been commendable. Paul is a proven leader and an experienced executive, and I have the utmost confidence he will continue — and build upon — our success. I will be rooting for everyone at Petmate as they take these next steps.”

Founded in 1959 as Doskocil Manufacturing, Inc., Petmate is headquartered in Arlington, Texas. Petmate’s portfolio of pet, family-favorite brands include Chuckit!, Pet Qwerks, Healthy Chews, Gamma2, JW and La-Z-Boy.