REHOVOT, ISRAEL — Cultivated meat producer Believer Meats, formerly known as Future Meat Technologies, has named Gustavo Burger chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Burger, previously chief operating officer at Believer, takes over the role from Nicole Johnson-Hoffman following her departure for other opportunities.

“We are thrilled to have Gustavo step into the role of CEO,” said Yaakov Nahmias, founder and president of Believer. “He has been an instrumental part of the company’s growth and success to date, and we are confident that he will successfully lead us as we transition from a food tech startup to a leading pioneer of a new food category.”

During his time as COO, Burger led the company’s production, logistics and supply chain operations and was a key figure in the groundbreaking of Believer’s 200,000-square-foot production facility. He brings additional leadership experience from his time as an operations executive for the Kraft Heinz Co. and global procurement director for Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Burger holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the Trevisan Business School in São Paulo, Brazil.

“I am honored and excited to lead Believer as its CEO as we effectively and strategically accelerate our business,” Burger said. “We are at the forefront of a new era in food with the dawn of cellular agriculture, and I look forward to working together with our world-class global team to bring our cultivated meat products to consumers around the world.”

Kash Muthuraman is being promoted from vice president of operations to replace Burger as COO. Muthuraman’s prior leadership experience includes two years as head of sales and operations planning for the Kraft Heinz Co. and seven years as a strategy and operations manager for Deloitte.