SMITHFIELD, Va. – As a part of its “One Smithfield” initiative to unify operations, brands and employees under one corporate umbrella, Smithfield Foods Inc. has announced a new organizational structure, as well as the addition of a chief operating officer and various other new leadership appointments. Effective Jan. 1, Dennis Organ has been promoted to COO, US operations, which is a new position at the company.

“Guided by our principles of responsibility, operational excellence, and innovation, our new optimized structure and leadership team will further ignite our potential as ‘One Smithfield’ by allowing us to better identify and seek out opportunities to improve our business, including ways to work smarter, serve customers better, and make Smithfield the best of the best,” said Kenneth M. Sullivan, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods.

Organ’s new role includes overseeing domestic business operations management, including the hog production, fresh pork, and packaged meats businesses. Organ has been with Smithfield for eight years. The following members of Smithfield’s leadership team will report to Organ:

 

  • Gregg Schmidt, president, US hog production
  • Jason Richter, executive vice president, US fresh pork
  • Russ Dokken, executive vice president, US packaged meats
  • Scott Saunders, executive vice president, US supply chain
  • Joe Weber, executive vice president, US growth and emerging businesses

 

Schmidt will remain in his role as president, US hog production, until his retirement at the end of 2019, when Brady Stewart will take over the role. Stewart has been promoted to executive vice president, US hog production. He was formerly vice president and general manager of Kansas City Sausage Company and Pine Ridge Farms, which Smithfield acquired in 2017. Stewart will work with Schmidt for the next year before taking over the job as president, US hog production.

John Pauley, new chief commercial officer of packaged meats, and Keira Lombardo, new executive vice-president of corporate affairs and compliance for Smithfield Foods

 

John Pauley, who has been with the company for 18 years and previously held the position of executive vice president of retail sales, packaged meats, will take on the newly created role of chief commercial officer, packaged meats.

Keira Lombardo is also being promoted to executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance. Lombardo, who has been with the company for more than 16 years, leads the company’s communications, government affairs, sustainability, and investor relations efforts, and oversees all of Smithfield’s compliance functions, including legal.