Foster Farms  
 

LIVINGSTON, Calif. – Laura Flanagan has been named president and CEO of Foster Farms, effective Aug. 29. She will succeed Ron Foster, grandson of company founders Max and Verda Foster.

Laura Flanagan
Laura Flanagan, president and CEO at Foster Farms 

“The board unanimously selected Laura Flanagan as the ideal executive to guide Foster Farms during a time of significant growth,” said Foster, who first announced plans to step down from his post back in October 2014. “She has an impressive record of transforming and growing household consumer brands across an ever-shifting landscape. We are confident that her strategic approach will lead Foster Farms to new heights within the US meat and poultry industry.”

Flanagan most recently was president of the ConAgra Foods snacks division. Before taking leadership of the snacks division, she was president of ConAgra’s convenient meals division from 2008 to 2011. Before joining ConAgra, Flanagan was vice-president and chief marketing officer of Tropicana shelf stable juices at PepsiCo, Inc. and, from 1996 to 2005, held brand-management positions at General Mills, Inc. and PepsiCo. Earlier, she was a manufacturing engineer at Saturn Corp.

She received a bachelor of science degree in engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Flanagan currently serves on the board of directors at Core-Mark International, one of North America’s largest marketers of fresh and broad-line supply solutions to the convenience retail industry.

“Foster Farms is a strong competitor in the national poultry landscape in large part because of its family-owned roots and its steadfast commitment to truly locally grown, fresh poultry,” Flanagan said. “I intend to honor the Foster family’s legacy for excellence while growing the business, guiding our dedicated employees and maintaining the trust of a new generation of consumers who care deeply about the food they feed their families, especially organic and antibiotic-free poultry choices.”