Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) today announced the appointment of Justin Whitmore to the newly-created role of Chief Sustainability Officer. This follows Tyson’s recent introduction of a new purpose and strategy that place sustainability at the center of the company’s future plans.
The appointment is effective May 1. Whitmore, who was most recently a consultant at McKinsey & Company, will be part of the company’s enterprise leadership team, reporting directly to President and CEO Tom Hayes.
As Chief Sustainability Officer, Whitmore will provide leadership and direction that helps the company achieve its strategic intent of sustainably feeding the world with the fastest growing portfolio of protein packed brands. He will work to implement solutions that drive industry-leading impact on all dimensions of sustainability. Under Whitmore’s leadership, the company will strive to innovate and simultaneously deliver healthier food, healthier animals, a healthier environment and a healthier workplace.
Instituting a disciplined approach to productivity and financial fitness will also be a key element of Whitmore’s sustainability agenda. He will collaborate across the organization in an effort to create efficiency and savings that can be reinvested in the business to fuel growth. Whitmore’s experience consulting on strategy, operations and sustainability for food processing, consumer packaged goods and foodservice companies is expected to serve him well in his new role. At McKinsey, he developed innovative solutions to address sustainability issues while considering operational complexity, consumer demand, market share growth and financial discipline.
“I am pleased to welcome Justin to the Tyson Foods family,” said Hayes. “We created this new role as part of our commitment to invest in our future through sustainability initiatives while funding them in the present through a best-in-class approach to continuous improvement.
“Justin brings considerable operations experience to Tyson as well as an approach that breaks down barriers and unlocks the potential of teams,” he said. “We believe he will not only drive change at Tyson, but across our industry as he partners with the many important stakeholders in our supply chain and food system.”
“I’m honored by Tyson Foods’ confidence in me to serve as its first Chief Sustainability Officer,” said Whitmore. “This is a company I know and respect. I’m excited to contribute to its strong legacy of leadership as we take on the challenge of global food sustainability. I look forward to working closely with Tom and the entire Tyson team to continue to innovate and live out our purpose.”
Prior to joining Tyson, Whitmore was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he launched the firm’s complexity management service line, led the McKinsey Black Network efforts in the Midwest region, and advised leading companies on strategy, operations, and sustainability.
Whitmore has held several consulting and executive positions at Strategy& (formerly Booz & Co.) and Johnson Controls. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Alabama Birmingham and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. He serves on the Corporate Advisory Board at Notre Dame’sMendoza College of Business and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.
