The board of directors of Land O’Lakes Inc., Arden Hills, Minn., has selected Beth Ford as the company’s president and CEO. Ford assumed leadership of the company on Aug. 1 following the retirement of Chris Policinski.
Ford comes to the CEO role after a series of executive postings within the company. In December 2017, she was named Chief Operating Officer of Land O’Lakes Businesses, overseeing business units such as Land O’Lakes’ WinField United, Purina Animal Nutrition, and Dairy Foods. Prior to that, she was head of Land O’Lakes’ Dairy Foods and Purina Animal Nutrition businesses, where she led record performance and growth, and was also instrumental in the acquisition of Vermont Creamery in early 2017.
Prior to joining Land O’Lakes in 2011, Ford served in executive operations management and supply chain roles at International Flavors and Fragrances, Mobil Corporation, PepsiCo and Pepsi Bottling Co., and Scholastic. She earned an MBA at Columbia University Business School and a BBA at Iowa State University. She remains involved in both universities, sitting on the Deming Center Board of Advisors for Columbia Business School and the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the College of Business at Iowa State.
Policinski’s retirement, which took effect on June 30, was announced in May (GM June 1, p. 24). He served as Land O-Lakes president and CEO since 2005. Peter Janzen, former senior vice president, general counsel, and chief administrative officer of the company, served as interim CEO during July.