Golden State Foods Announces Leadership Updates Across Legal, Procurement, and Supply Chain Functions
Golden State Foods is pleased to announce the appointment of Maria Brooks as Group Vice President, Procurement, the transition of Brande Bond to Group Vice President, Supply Chain for Quality Custom Distribution (QCD) and the promotion of Cameron Smith to General Counsel, QCD.
Based in Norcross, Georgia, Maria recently joined GSF as Group Vice President, Procurement. In this role, she leads procurement across ingredients, packaging and indirect spending, while strengthening visibility into costs and consumption to support better business decisions. Maria is also responsible for driving category savings, supplier management, and strategic sourcing initiatives, while developing a multi-year procurement roadmap aligned with business priorities. She brings more than 15 years of leadership experience to GSF, previously serving in procurement leadership roles with SunOpta and Flagstone Foods.
"Maria brings a proven ability to build strong partnerships across every function and align teams around shared goals. As we continue to strengthen GSF's procurement capabilities, her vision, leadership and enterprise mindset will play an important role in advancing our business priorities and creating long-term value," said Steve Mollick, Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Within GSF's logistics business, Brande Bond recently transitioned to the role of Group Vice President, Supply Chain for QCD, based in Frisco, Texas. She now leads enterprise supply chain strategy across planning, procurement and inventory optimization to deliver service excellence and operational results. Additionally, Brande oversees customer fulfillment, strategic supplier relationships, and resilience initiatives designed to strengthen continuity and performance across the supply chain network. Most recently serving as Group Vice President, Customer Service and Development, she led customer planning and service functions across a 24-market network.
"Brande has been instrumental in QCD's growth and evolution since becoming the division's first associate in 2006. She has helped shape our business, develop our people, and strengthen our culture. We are excited to see her lead the next chapter of success for QCD with the same strategic vision, operational excellence and commitment that have defined her career," said Ryan Hammer, Corporate Senior Vice President and President, QCD.
In another key QCD leadership role, Cameron Smith earned a promotion to General Counsel, after serving as Deputy General Counsel for GSF since 2023. Also based in Frisco, Texas, he serves as QCD's lead legal executive, partnering with leadership to provide strategic legal counsel, risk management guidance, and workers' compensation oversight across all aspects of the business.
Since joining GSF, Cameron has acted as a trusted advisor to leaders across operations, supply chain, finance, human resources and executive leadership, while successfully guiding complex legal and strategic initiatives. Previously, he practiced law with Western Digital and O'Melveny & Myers LLP and clerked for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
"Cameron has earned this opportunity through his sound legal judgment, business acumen, servant leadership, strong partnership mindset, and unwavering commitment to integrity and practical solutions. We are confident in his ability to lead the legal function, accelerate decision-making, and deliver even greater support and service to the QCD business, its operations and customers as a fully integrated partner in QCD's continued growth," said John Page, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer.
