Foster Farms has announced that Jayson Penn will serve as CEO effective March 18th. He succeeds Donnie Smith, previously CEO of Tyson Foods after retiring in 2016. Smith was appointed as CEO, presumably as a caretaker in 2022, following the acquisition of the family-owned company by Atlas Holdings.
Penn was most recently President of John Soules Food having served previously as CEO of Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. and gaining experience at Case Foods, Marshall Durbin Company and Sanderson Farms.
James Richards was named CFO. His experience includes two decades at General Electric Company in senior financial positions and, most recently, participating in turnaround of businesses including Kodi Collective.
A spokesperson for Atlas Partners, Sam Astor, Ed Fletcher and Mike Sher, stated, “We are excited to have Jason on board to lead the transformation journey now underway. He brings immediate strength to the leadership team from his industry experience and commitment to operational excellence.”