Lamb Weston announces that Mike Smith, its senior vice president overseeing growth and strategy, will assume leadership of its foodservice and retail business units. Smith will lead the two business units, which sell fries and other potato products to foodservice distributors and restaurant operators and the company’s retail line of products including Alexia, Grown in Idaho, licensed brands and private label items to grocers and other retailers.
Smith has been with Lamb Weston for more than 10 years. His current responsibilities as senior vice president of growth and strategy, as well as his previous role leading the retail business unit as vice president and general manager, should enable a seamless transition of the foodservice and retail businesses. In his new role, Smith succeeds Rod Hepponstall, who is leaving the company to become CEO of a publicly traded food company outside the potato category.
“Mike is a terrific leader, and I am confident he will continue to drive both the retail and foodservice growth going forward, maintaining the great momentum we have in both of those segments,” says Lamb Weston CEO Tom Werner. “I would like to thank Rod for his contributions to Lamb Weston. He has been instrumental in driving step change business results and building out talented teams over his time at Lamb Weston. We wish Rod all the best in his new opportunity.”