Middleby named Steve Spittle president on November 5 and designated him to succeed Timothy FitzGerald as chief executive on April 1, 2027. MarketWatch reported the succession and timing, while Foodservice Equipment Reports outlined the transition and Spittle’s operating background. The change sets a nearly five-month handover between the president appointment and the CEO transition.
Spittle has been Middleby’s chief commercial officer since February 2021 and joined the company in 2010. In his commercial role, he led the global organization and oversaw sales and marketing across the company’s brands, as well as relationships with operators and dealers. Foodservice Equipment Reports says he has held several leadership posts across Middleby and previously managed daily operations and profit-and-loss responsibility for major brands.
FitzGerald will remain CEO through March 31, 2027, then step down from the role and the board. Spittle will join the board when he becomes CEO on April 1. The company said the two executives will work side by side during the transition to support customers, shareholders and teams. That sequence gives the incoming chief several months in the president role before he assumes the top job.
The company has recently narrowed its portfolio around commercial foodservice. Foodservice Equipment Reports noted that Middleby sold a 51% stake in its residential kitchen business to 26North and completed the spinoff of its food-processing business as Midera. The company has described itself as a pure-play commercial foodservice business, making Spittle’s experience in global selling, operator relationships and brand operations relevant to the next phase.
The appointment has a clear internal-continuity element. Spittle has worked across the commercial business for 16 years, while FitzGerald has spent nearly three decades with Middleby and has been CEO since 2019. The board’s stated rationale, quoted by Foodservice Equipment Reports, centered on Spittle’s industry knowledge and understanding of how Middleby competes. Neither outlet suggests that the succession changes the company’s stated focus.
The SEC filing confirms the formal sequence: Spittle’s presidency begins immediately, while the CEO and board appointments take effect on April 1, 2027. It also confirms FitzGerald’s board departure on that date. A planned handover has a familiar rhythm across the leadership beat; Encafeinados previously followed another staged CEO appointment when Asda named David Potts to lead its next phase.
