Foster Farms announced on Wednesday that its board of directors has appointed Laura Flanagan president and chief executive officer. She will succeed Ron Foster, grandson of company founders Max and Verda Foster, effective August 29. Foster had previously announced his plans to step down. He will remain a Foster Farms owner and member of the board of directors.
“The board unanimously selected Laura Flanagan as the ideal executive to guide Foster Farms during a time of significant growth,” Foster said. “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 U.S. meat and poultry industry.”
Flanagan, 48, most recently served as president of ConAgra Foods Snacks Division. Before that, Flanagan served as president of ConAgra’s Convenient Meals Division from 2008 to 2011, revitalizing and expanding key brands. She also led initiatives to promote diversity, develop internal talent, and build skills and capabilities throughout ConAgra.
Before joining ConAgra, Flanagan served as vice president and chief marketing officer of Tropicana Shelf Stable Juices at PepsiCo and, from 1996 to 2005, held brand-management positions at General Mills and PepsiCo. She earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1996. She 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,” said Flanagan. “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 consumer’s who care deeply about the food they feed their families, especially organic and antibiotic-free poultry choices.”
Under Ron Foster’s leadership, Foster Farms grew by 70 percent and became the U.S.’s first major poultry producer to be certified by the American Humane Association. In June this year, the company was selected as the 2016 Processor of the Year by The National Provisioner for industry-leading acheivements in food safety, water conservation and product diversity. During Ron Foster’s tenure as president and CEO, the company became the number one brand of frozen cooked chicken in the western United States and became the largest producer of organic and antibiotic-free fresh chicken on the West Coast.
