Effective Jan. 1, Dennis Organ has been promoted to the new position, chief operating officer of U.S. operations.

January 18, 2019

3 Min Read
Smithfield appoints new leadership, adds chief operating officer
Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods has enhanced its organizational structure, appointing new leadership and adding a chief operating officer to the business.

The new structure and leadership appointments signify the ultimate realization of “One Smithfield,” an initiative to unify all of Smithfield’s operations, brands and more than 54,000 employees globally under one corporate umbrella. In addition, it will optimize and simplify Smithfield’s organizational alignment, infuse innovative ideas in all aspects of the company and heighten its strategic focus on its $8 billion value-added business, which holds top market share in numerous product categories.

“Guided by our principles of responsibility, operational excellence and innovation, our new optimized structure and leadership team will further ignite our potential as ‘One Smithfield’ by allowing us to better identify and seek out opportunities to improve our business, including ways to work smarter, serve customers better and make Smithfield the best of the best,” says Kenneth M. Sullivan, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods.

Effective Jan. 1, Dennis Organ has been promoted to the new position, chief operating officer of U.S. operations. This new role oversees and unifies all domestic business operations management, including the company’s hog production, fresh pork and packaged meats businesses. Organ, who has been with Smithfield for eight years, is responsible for strategic development, day-to-day operations and continued improvement of the company’s U.S. businesses, ensuring Smithfield’s operations are optimized, efficient and best-in-class. 

Under the new structure, the following members of Smithfield’s leadership team will report to Organ.

  • Gregg Schmidt, president, U.S. hog production

  • Jason Richter, executive vice president, U.S. fresh pork

  • Russ Dokken, executive vice president, U.S. packaged meats

  • Scott Saunders, executive vice president, U.S. supply chain

  • Joe Weber, executive vice president, U.S. growth and emerging businesses

Schmidt will remain president, U.S. hog production, until his retirement at the end of 2019. Brady Stewart, formerly vice president and general manager of Kansas City Sausage Co. and Pine Ridge Farms, which Smithfield acquired in 2017, will work with Schmidt for the next year and succeed him upon his retirement. Stewart has been promoted to executive vice president, U.S. hog production.

Smithfield has also created a chief commercial officer, packaged meats, position that has been filled by John Pauley, who has been with the company for 18 years and was previously executive vice president of retail sales, packaged meats. Pauley is responsible for commercial strategy and development, including responsibility for all domestic packaged meats sales channels and business development, as well as all domestic marketing activities, innovation and product development. Pauley is regarded for his market knowledge and comprehensive grasp of the company’s commercial opportunities, making him the ideal leader to fill this new role.

Smithfield also announces the promotion of Keira Lombardo to executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance. Lombardo leads the company’s communications, government affairs, sustainability, and investor relations efforts and oversees all of Smithfield’s compliance functions, including legal. Lombardo has been with Smithfield for more than 16 years and has a unique and multi-faceted understanding of the business, industry and the company’s broad array of stakeholders.

Source: Smithfield, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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