Smithfield Foods CEO to Step Down Early Next Year

American protein products manufacturer Smithfield Foods announced Monday that its president and chief executive officer Kenneth M. Sullivan will retire from his roles early next year. He worked for the company for nearly two decades.

“It has been a great honor and privilege to lead Smithfield for the past five years. As a leading global food and agriculture company, we have an incredibly important role to play in society. It is an obligation we have proudly embraced over our more than 80-year history,” said Sullivan in a company release on his pending departure. “We have persevered through an extraordinary time in 2020.”

Sullivan served as president and CEO of Smithfield for five years. During his tenure, the company achieved the highest profit periods in its history and oversaw a transformation of its organization that unified all of its operations, brands and employees under one corporate entity. He also played a role in furthering the company’s sustainability initiatives.

The company named Dennis Organ, its chief operating officer of US operations, as Sullivan’s successor. He joined Smithfield in 2010 and was appointed to his current role in 2019. \

“Building on the successes of the last five years, it is the right time to make way for the next generation of leadership. I am leaving our company in extremely capable hands. Dennis lives and breathes our Operational Excellence guiding principle,” said Sullivan. “At his core, he tirelessly seeks out opportunities to improve the way we do business. We must be operationally excellent to succeed, and Dennis will continue to transform the company into a best-in-class operator in his role as president and chief executive officer.”