Middleby Announces CEO Transition

Middleby has appointed Steve Spittle, its chief commercial officer, to the role of president. He’ll succeed Tim FitzGerald as CEO on April 1. He’ll also become a member of Middleby’s board of directors on April 1, at which time FitzGerald will step down from the board.

FitzGerald has served Middleby for nearly three decades and became CEO in 2019. This year, he led the company through a portfolio transformation: In the first quarter, Middleby sold a 51% stake in its residential kitchen business to 26North and in July, it completed the spinoff of its food processing business as Midera, an independent public company.

Middleby says it’s now a pure-play commercial foodservice company and Spittle, who joined in 2010, will lead it into its next chapter of growth.

“Over 16 years at Middleby, Steve has worked across every part of our commercial business, and has earned the trust of our customers, our dealers and our teams,” says Gordon O’Brien, chairman of Middleby, in the release. “He combines a deep understanding of this industry with a clear vision for how Middleby wins in it, both now and into the future.”

In the months ahead, FitzGerald and Spittle will work side-by-side to ensure a smooth transition for customers, shareholders and teams.

Spittle has held several leadership roles across Middleby. As chief commercial officer, he led the company’s global commercial organization and set the strategy for the Middleby Commercial Foodservice Group, overseeing sales and marketing across its brands and the company’s relationships with operators and dealers. Previously, as a group president, he managed key customer relationships and was responsible for the daily operations and P&L of some of the company’s largest brands, including Pitco and Blodgett.