ROBIN COPPING
Robin Copping – Founder & CEO
As Chief Executive Officer of CEO Search Partners & Strategic Food Partners® LLC, Robin’s search philosophy is solid but simple: “We offer unparalleled service to our clients, without off-limits issues, as well as total flexibility and unprecedented bottom-line results.”
A Food industry expert
Robin brings expert knowledge and an insider’s point-of-view of the food industry to the search process. Immediately after her college graduation, she began her career in the food industry and had a fifteen-year tenure with three major international food and consumer product companies.
Robin ran Foodservice and Retail for two major international food companies and has had direct experience working with over 110 National Accounts, including National Foodservice Operators, Distributors, Manufacturers, Retail Grocery, Warehouse Clubs, and Industrial Food Processing. She has held several key positions within the industry and was directly responsible for all of the U.S. sales for previous employers in the ingredient, foodservice, and consumer product spaces. Robin also previously served as the Senior Vice President of Foodservice and Consumer Packaged Goods for the 5th largest global retained search firm.
An insider’s view
Robin has spent the last thirty years of her life as a food industry insider. Her hands-on knowledge of the industry is further enhanced by her active participation in it. Robin runs the only search firm in North America that belongs to and is active in thirty-four food industry-related associations. She also hosts several highly-attended CEO dinners, board dinners, and executive level networking events each year. Robin and her team attend at least twenty major food conferences annually. CEO Search Partners is the only search firm that is a member of both the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and that actively participates in their top-to-top CEO conferences and chairman’s forums.
Robin’s strong technical knowledge and experience comes from decades of working directly in the food industry. She has her hand on the pulse of the industry and interacts with the leaders of the largest companies on a daily basis.
Entrepreneur since 1996
In 1996, Robin took her hands on knowledge of the food industry and founded her own retained executive search firm. She has been successfully running Strategic Food Partners® LLC & CEO Search Partners LLC ever since.
As the leader in providing high-quality executive search to the food and food-related industries, Robin and her staff focus on filling key roles, focusing on President, CEO, Vice President, General Management and Director level roles for both public and private companies.
Her firm also serves as a strategic partner to global and fast-growth companies, filling 20 searches per year for major clients. Robin’s personal network, persistence, and ability to achieve results have been described by many as second to none.
Promoting diversity in the workforce
As CEO of a woman-owned business certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), Robin’s recruiting efforts include promoting women and diversity in the workforce.
Education
Robin received her BBA in Marketing from Michigan State University. She has also completed graduate-level coursework through the Michigan State University Food Marketing Program, where she studied under the top industry consultant, Dr. John Allen.
Personal
Originally from Michigan, Robin currently lives in Chicago. She enjoys boating and is an active member of the Chicago Yacht Club.