# Dave Ciesinski

> Dave Ciesinski is president, chief executive officer and a director of The Marzetti Company, formerly Lancaster Colony. A West Point graduate and Bronze Star Army veteran, he previously held leadership roles at Heinz and Kraft and joined Lancaster Colony in 2016. His public leadership philosophy connects employee growth with business performance.

- **Role:** President, Chief Executive Officer & Director at The Marzetti Company
- **Organizations:** The Marzetti Company, Lancaster Colony Corporation (former company name), T. Marzetti Company, H.J. Heinz Company, Kraft Foods Group, Essential Utilities
- **Education:** United States Military Academy at West Point, MSIA; master’s studies in marketing and finance, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business
- **Known for:** Awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Army service during the first Gulf War., Succeeded Jay Gerlach as Lancaster Colony CEO in 2017., Led the company during its 2025 Marzetti rebrand and 2026 acquisition of Bachan’s.

## Career timeline

- **First Gulf War** — Served in Iraq during the first Gulf War; awarded a Bronze Star Medal.
- **1996** — Graduated from Carnegie Mellon’s MSIA program.
- **Before 2016** — Held leadership roles at Heinz and became EVP and president of Kraft’s Meal Solutions division.
- **2016** — Joined Lancaster Colony as president and COO and became president of T. Marzetti.
- **2017** — Became Lancaster Colony CEO and a director, effective July 1.
- **2021** — Essential Utilities announced his appointment to its board on July 7.
- **2025** — Lancaster Colony became The Marzetti Company; MZTI trading began July 1.
- **2026** — Led Marzetti as it completed the Bachan’s acquisition on May 1.

## Achievements

- Awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Army service during the first Gulf War.
- Succeeded Jay Gerlach as Lancaster Colony CEO in 2017.
- Led the company during its 2025 Marzetti rebrand and 2026 acquisition of Bachan’s.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — The 2026 proxy statement continues to identify Ciesinski as president, CEO and director; fiscal 2026 net sales were $1.93 billion.
- **2026-05** — Marzetti completed the $400 million Bachan’s acquisition on May 1.
- **2025-07** — The renamed Marzetti Company began trading under MZTI on July 1.

## Links

- Website: https://www.marzetticompany.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-ciesinski-8584841

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dave-ciesinski
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22