On Tuesday, Dawn Foods announced the opening of its first-ever Digital Innovation Hub, located in Boston, Massachusetts. The city was chosen for its booming tech scene, legacy B2B commerce firms, and skilled talent pool.

Under the leadership of Bob Howland, Dawn’s Chief Digital Officer, the Digital Innovation Hub team will play an instrumental role in developing digital solutions for the company’s bakery customers. Over the next year in the lead-up to Dawn’s 100th anniversary, the Hub will be focused on developing the digital tools necessary to engage customers, mature Dawn's business model, and evolve the broader market. 

Digital enhancements will allow bakers to manage their inventory and shipments 24/7 – whenever and wherever they want, from online ordering to monthly market assessments. Howland has started to build his team that will work on these solutions and is looking to expand it to a staff of 10 by the end of the year.

“Dawn Foods has a rich heritage and a bright future ahead. By opening our Digital Innovation Hub in Boston, and investing in an area with rich tech talent, I am confident we are putting the right infrastructure in place to develop the right digital solutions for both Dawn and our customers,” says Howland. “Additionally, these critical investments will drive added enhancements for the baking industry as a whole – from cost and time savings to access to a wider array of products, offerings, and inspirational recipes.”

Key new hires for the Digital Innovation Hub include:

  • Kristin Pados, Senior Director of Product Management: Pados will lead the day-to-day operations of Dawn’s digital sites, build a high-performing product team, and instill an Agile software development process.
  • Gireesh Sahukar, Senior Director of Digital Technology: Sahukar will lead Dawn’s digital software development efforts by building and mentoring an internal team of developers and manage third-party external development teams as the company instills an Agile software development process.

Other specific roles that are expected to be filled by the end of the year include Product Managers, UX Designers, QA/Testing and Senior Engineers/Software Developers.