Dive Brief:
- Conagra Brands is streamlining its executive leadership structure by eliminating the chief operating officer role following the retirement of Tom McGough in September.
- Under the new structure, Noelle O’Mara, president of refrigerated and frozen, and Jill Dexter, president of grocery and snacks, will report directly to CEO John Brase, according to a press release Wednesday.
- Burke Raine, who was formerly executive vice president of new platforms, acquisitions and growth excellence at Conagra, will become chief growth officer. Raine will oversee foodservice, international and research and development efforts.
Dive Insight:
The new leadership structure is meant to improve efficiency and streamline operations at the Slim Jim maker. These are the first major changes from new CEO Braze, who stepped into the top position approximately two months ago after working at J.M. Smucker.
Brase previously told Food Dive about a month after taking over that Conagra would move aggressively to simplify its portfolio, which could include divesting some brands. The new CEO added he wouldn't be afraid to make “bold decisions” to turn around performance at the Slim Jim maker, which he says has been slowed by a complex portfolio and a failure to invest in on-trend brands within the frozen and snacking sectors.
The leadership changes announced Wednesday allows Brase to better shape strategy and oversee performance of the snack and frozen sectors. In a statement, Brase said being close to Conagra’s customers is vital as the company simplifies for profitable growth.
"Noelle, Jill, and Burke are outstanding leaders and the opportunity to work directly with them will enable us to improve efficiency as we execute our strategy," Brase added.
McGough is set to retire on Sept. 4 after two decades of working with the food maker. In a statement, the outgoing COO said the Marie Callender's maker has "a lot of runway ahead" and that Brase "has a clear vision for where this company is going."
Conagra, which also manufactures Orville Redenbacher and Healthy Choice frozen meals, reported net sales of $11.3 billion for the full year ending May 31, marking a nearly 3% decrease year over year.
