The Middleby Corporation has announced that its board of directors has appointed Steve Spittle, chief commercial officer, as president of the company, effective immediately. Spittle will also succeed Tim FitzGerald as CEO, effective April 1, 2027.
FitzGerald will continue to lead the company as CEO until that date “to ensure an orderly transition,” said the company in a statement released today, November 5. Spittle will also be appointed as a member of the company’s board of directors effective April 1, 2027, at which time FitzGerald will step down from the board.
The appointment follows the completion of Middleby’s portfolio transformation earlier this year. In the first quarter, it sold a 51% stake in its Residential Kitchen business to 26North, and in July it completed the spin-off of its Food Processing business as Midera, an independent public company.
Middleby is now “a pure-play commercial foodservice company,” says the company and with Spittle set to lead it “into its next chapter of growth.”
Vision and discipline
Gordon O’Brien, chairman of Middleby, has paid tribute to FitzGerald. “Tim has been part of Middleby for nearly three decades, and since becoming CEO in 2019 he has led the company with vision and discipline. Under his leadership, Middleby built the industry’s broadest portfolio of leading commercial foodservice brands and a reputation for innovation that the world’s leading restaurant chains and operators rely on. This year, Tim led the most significant transformation in the company’s history, creating independent, focused platforms designed to unlock value for our shareholders,” said O’Brien.
“Middleby is now a pure-play leader in commercial foodservice. On behalf of the entire board, I thank Tim for his leadership and for the legacy he will leave, and we are grateful that he will continue to lead Middleby through this transition,” he added.
“The board is confident that Steve is the right leader for what comes next. 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. He combines a deep understanding of this industry with a clear vision for how Middleby wins in it, both now and into the future. As we enter a chapter focused on growth, innovation and operational excellence, Steve has the skills and drive to lead Middleby forward. This succession reflects the Board’s deliberate planning and our full confidence in Steve. In the months ahead, Tim and Steve will work side-by-side to ensure a smooth transition for our customers, our shareholders and our teams,” said O’Brien.
Key customer relationships
Spittle joined Middleby in 2010 and has held several leadership roles across the company. As chief commercial officer, he has led Middleby’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 the world’s leading restaurant chains, 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. He has served on the board of directors of the North American Association of Foodservice Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) since 2015, including as president for the 2024-2025 term.
During that tenure he was interviewed by FCSI’s Foodservice Consultant on stage at HostMilano 2025, by Michael Jones, addressing the challenges, trends, and opportunities on the horizon for hospitality and foodservice in 2026 and beyond. You can watch the video of that recording, here.
“It is an honor to be named CEO of Middleby, a company I have been proud to be part of for 16 years,” said Spittle in a company statement.
“I started my career in this industry as a manufacturer’s representative, selling many of the brands that are part of Middleby today, and I have seen this business firsthand from the customer’s side as well as from inside the operations of our own brands and at the corporate level. We have an unmatched portfolio of industry-leading brands, a culture of innovation that delivers top-line growth and margin benefits for our customers, and deep, lasting relationships built on trust. I am eager to put the full strength of this company to work. With our transformation complete, we are focused on commercial foodservice, supported by an outstanding team around the world and a clear plan for growth and operational excellence, and I am committed to delivering on it. I want to thank Tim for his leadership, for the foundation he has built, and I look forward to working closely with him over the coming months,” said Spittle.
FitzGerald added that he was “proud of the company we have built, the culture we have put in place and the best team in the industry we have assembled.”
Middleby, he said, is “well-positioned for its next chapter, and with the portfolio transformation complete the timing is right for Steve, an exceptional leader, to take the company to new heights. I am committed to supporting Steve and the entire Middleby team through the transition over the coming months to ensure we continue our momentum and the next chapter under Steve’s leadership gets off to a strong start. I am grateful for the opportunity to have led Middleby, and I thank our team and all of our industry partners for their trust and support over the years.”
Michael Jones
