Tyson Foods hires first chief sustainability officer

Tyson Foods has hired Justin Whitmore as chief sustainability officer, a newly-created position for the Springdale company.

The appointment is effective May 1, according to a news release issued Thursday (April 20). Whitmore was most recently a consultant at McKinsey & Co. in Chicago. He will report directly to president and CEO Tom Hayes.

“I am pleased to welcome Justin to the Tyson Foods family,” Hayes said in the release. “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.”

Whitmore’s job will include helping the company “sustainably feed the world with the fastest growing portfolio of protein packed brands.” He has considerable experience consulting on strategy, operations and sustainability for food processing, consumer packaged goods and foodservice companies.

At McKinsey, 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 at Birmingham and his master of business administration from the University of Notre Dame. He serves on the corporate advisory board at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.

“I’m honored by Tyson Foods’ confidence in me to serve as its first chief sustainability officer,” Whitmore said in a statement. “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.”