AUSTIN, Minn. – Hormel Foods Corp. announced the promotion of Natosha Walsh to senior vice president of Consumer Products Sales (CPS) and vice president of Hormel Foods effective at the start of fiscal 2019. She succeeds Kurt Mueller who is retiring after 39 years with the company.

Walsh began her career with the company in 1999. She has held positions of increasing responsibility in the areas of supply chain, category management, customer account leadership and product management. Walsh currently is director of Albertsons and Safeway business for CPS.

She is credited as a “…driver for the advancement of women within CPS and throughout the company” through her service in Hormel’s Women’s Insight Network from the employee resource groups’ inception. She has been an active member of the Network of Executive Women for more than 15 years, and she recently was named co-chair of the Boise, Idaho, chapter that she established.

Walsh earned degrees in marketing and international business from Kansas State Univ.

“Natosha is well prepared to assume Kurt's responsibilities and has earned a reputation for being a customer-focused leader,” said Deanna Brady, group vice president of consumer products sales at Hormel Foods. “I look forward to Natosha providing leadership and bold thinking to the sales organization.”

Mueller joined the company in 1979 in sales. He advanced through various sales roles before becoming a product manager, district manager and director of retail marketing. Mueller was named senior vice president of business planning for CPS in 2004 and then assumed his current role of senior vice president of CPS and vice president of Hormel Foods in 2014. He is a graduate of the Univ. of Wisconsin -Eau Claire, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing.

“Kurt has been a strong leader in the CPS organization, driving growth and providing mentorship to our sales teams throughout our business. We congratulate him on a great career and wish him all the best in his upcoming retirement,” said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and CEO at Hormel Foods.