Continuing its efforts to bring facts and balance to the dialogue about sugar, the Sugar Association has hired industry veteran Chris Hogan as its vice president of communications. He will champion the association’s communications platform around its mission to serve as a credible resource for science-based sugar knowledge and to help increase consumer understanding and confidence by highlighting sugar’s role in a nutritious, balanced lifestyle.
Hogan knows how to engage key audiences and communicate complex subjects in understandable ways, bringing with him more than 15 years of leadership experience in the consumer goods, natural resources, environmental and energy industries.
“A rapidly changing environment for the global food and beverage industry and the FDA’s decision to put added sugars on the nutrition facts label have contributed to a time of heightened focus on sugar,” says Sugar Association president and CEO Courtney Gaine. “We see both a great opportunity and need to share facts on the role of sugar in the diet and what sugar in moderation really looks like. We have spent the past year trying to understand consumer perceptions and now have a strong foundation of research-based knowledge in place.
“With Chris’s deep and successful experiences in the consumer space, I’m confident he will effectively lead our industry’s communications efforts as we continue to evolve the conversation about sugar and as we seek to meet people where they are and with the information they want.”
Hogan was most recently the vice president of communications and public affairs for Growth Energy, representing America’s biofuel producers and supporters as an industry thought leader. Through an integrated campaign, he used research, data and focused messaging to educate consumers and change the way they talk about ethanol. He held similar communications leadership positions with the International Bottled Water Association and the American Gas Association.
“Joining the Sugar Association is an incredible opportunity to leverage my expertise and background,” says Hogan. “I’m especially excited about identifying new and positive approaches to communicate consumer messages and develop programs that will benefit the sugar industry and the public. It’s clear that an abundance of information has made many people confused about sweeteners, so it’s the perfect time to focus on education and help make consumers more confident about enjoying sugar in moderation. I’ve quickly learned that there is a whole lot more to sugar, and I’m looking forward to sharing its story.”