The global food business, Tyson Foods, has promoted its former chief commercial officer, Tom Hayes, to the position of president.
He will work directly with the company’s chief executive officer, Donnie Smith, whose leadership of Tyson Foods has delivered “excellent results for shareholders and experienced significant growth”, according to the company’s board of directors’ chairman, John Tyson.
“As we look toward the future of our business and its next phase of growth, succession planning is the board’s responsibility,” said Mr Tyson. “We are focused on leaders with the right skills to help Tyson Foods capitalise on favourable market trends in the US and abroad, to continue improving our portfolio mix and margins and to drive innovation in our expanding range of branded products.”
Mr Smith added: “Tom Hayes (pictured above) is an exceptional leader who has played a key role in creating a united company and in our continued development of our branded products. I am pleased to have an opportunity to work closely with him as we continue to leverage our scale and nine core brands to drive industry-leading growth in attractive market segments.”
Tyson Foods supplies retail and foodservice customers throughout the US and in approximately 130 countries. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to lead the business, the company currently has more than 400 facilities and offices around the world.
The business has a strong involvement in the poultry sector, recently reporting a 27% rise in operating income in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, with earnings from chicken playing “a big part in the Tyson success story”.
