Chicago - Sara Lee Corporation announced that Michael A. Pennella has been named president and chief executive officer of Hillshire Farm & Kahn's, a division of Sara Lee Meats with headquarters in Cincinnati. Pennella reports to William A. Geoppinger, vice president of Sara Lee Corporation responsible for the Hillshire Farm & Kahn's, Hygrade, Seitz and Ozark Salad divisions of Sara Lee Corporation.
Pennella, 46, joins Sara Lee Corporation from Lamb Weston, Inc., where he had been an executive vice president since 1995, with responsibilities including marketing, sales, production planning, purchasing, transportation, warehousing and customer service. From 1992 until 1995, Pennella was vice president and general manager of the foodservice division of Pillsbury, Inc. Prior to that, he served as vice president of sales and marketing for the Northern Star Division of Michael Foods, Inc. He previously has held sales and marketing positions with Pepsi-Cola and Procter and Gamble.
Pennella holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Bates College, Lewiston, Maine.
Hillshire Farm & Kahn's manufactures and markets a wide range of processed meat products under the Hillshire Farm and Kahn's brands. The company is the category leader in smoked sausage, cocktail links and in thin-sliced lunch meats, distributed under its Deli Select brand, and recently introduced reduced- fat and fat-free products under the Lean & Hearty brand.
Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer packaged goods company with more than $20 billion in annual revenues. Its leading brands include Sara Lee, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Hanes, Coach and Playtex.
Meat Industry Insights News Service
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