Tyson Foods names Noelle O’Mara as chief marketing officer

Tyson Foods has created a new role of chief marketing officer and tapped Noelle O’Mara for that position.

Tyson Foods said O’Mara brings more than 17 years of food marketing experience to the role. She joined the company in April 2016 as vice president of new business models. Most recently, she served as general manager and senior vice president for the Jimmy Dean and Tyson brands, each valued at a billion dollars.

O’Mara will report to President and CEO Noel White and is responsible for innovation and brand building across the enterprise to support the company’s overall growth strategy. This includes overseeing consumer insights and analytics, research and development, innovation and marketing effectiveness.

“Noelle has a proven track record of building brands and high-performance teams, the kind that accelerate growth and lead to results,” said White. “She’s focused on modernizing Tyson Foods’ existing brands while building the next generation of innovation.”

O’Mara will remain based in the company’s Chicago offices where most of the marketing team was moved after the acquisition of Hillshire Foods in 2014. Former CEO Tom Hayes told Talk Business & Politics that Chicago is a larger hub for recruiting top marketing talent for growing all of the brands Tyson Foods owns and acquires in the future.

Before joining Tyson Foods, O’Mara held senior-level marketing positions with Kraft Heinz, where she led marketing and innovation for some of America’s most iconic brands. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business.