Beth Ford takes over as President & CEO of Land O’Lakes

The Land O’Lakes Board of Directors announced Beth Ford President and CEO of the cooperative. Ford assumes leadership of the company following the retirement of Chris Policinski, effective Aug. 1.

Ford has served the company in a series of executive roles. In December 2017, she was named Chief Operating Officer of Land O’Lakes Businesses. Before that, Ford was head of Land O’Lakes’ Dairy Foods and Purina Animal Nutrition businesses and was instrumental in the acquisition of Vermont Creamery in early 2017.

Ford has more than 20 years of experience having worked with International Flavors and Fragrances, Mobil Corporation, PepsiCo and Pepsi Bottling Company and Scholastic. She was born in Sioux City, Iowa, earned an MBA at Columbia University Business School and a BBA at Iowa State University.

Board Chairman Pete Kappelman said, “At a time of unprecedented change in the agriculture and food industries, no person is better suited to lead us into the future than Beth Ford. Since joining our company in 2011, Beth has proven she’s not afraid of hard work, and she sees every challenge as an opportunity to deliver more value for our cooperative.”

“I’m humbled and honored to have the chance to serve this great organization,” Ford said. “I am grateful to the Board of Directors for their trust in me and for the management team that built the strong foundation we currently enjoy,” she said. “I look forward to continuing to work with the talented and dedicated leadership team, as well as our outstanding employees to deliver for our member-owners, customers and communities. There has never been a more exciting time to be in the agriculture and food industry. Together, our team will work to continue our growth trajectory, as we lead the way forward into the company’s next 100 years.”