Tom Hotard Named Chief Engineering Officer for Ali Group and Welbilt

VERNON HILLS, Ill. (August 20, 2025) – Ali Group, the largest and most diversified global leader in the foodservice equipment industry, today announced the promotion of Tom Hotard to the role of Chief Engineering Officer for Ali Group and Welbilt globally, effective September 1, 2025.

Hotard joined the Ali Group in 2010 as Vice President of Operations and Development at Beverage-Air. Since then, he has held various positions, including Executive Vice President of Beverage-Air, President of H.C. Duke & Son, LLC/Electro Freeze and Executive Vice President, Ali Group and Welbilt.

In this position, Hotard will be responsible for advising Ali Group and Welbilt companies on operations and engineering issues and initiatives, while also interfacing with Group brands globally to provide manufacturing process and engineering support.

Filippo Berti, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ali Group, said, “I am very pleased to announce Tom Hotard’s promotion to this position. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership, deep industry expertise and a proven ability to drive innovation and operational efficiency across multiple businesses and categories.”