Hormel Chief Marketing Officer to Retire
Hormel Foods' head of marketing is hanging it up after a long and impactful tenure at the legacy food company. Scott Aakre, group VP and chief marketing officer, will retire at the end of the current fiscal year but stay on as a board member.
A 35-year company veteran, Aakre steadily ascended through the organization. He held a variety of management positions, including VP of corporate innovation and new product development, and was tapped for his current role in 2023. He also serves on the board of directors at The Hormel Foundation, an unaffiliated nonprofit organization with a charitable mission that beneficially owns about 46% of the company's common stock.
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"Scott has been a tremendous asset to our organization, and we have been incredibly fortunate to benefit from his leadership, creativity and business expertise for over three decades," said Jim Snee, president and CEO, Hormel Foods. "Austin, Minnesota, is both Scott's hometown and the home of Hormel Foods, and we are grateful he chose to build his career here with us. I'm delighted he will continue to support the company beyond his retirement as a member of the Hormel Foods board of directors."
Snee and Aakre have followed a similar path at Hormel. In January, Snee announced that he is retiring at the end of FY2025 after 36 years with the CPG.
The chairman of Hormel’s board, Bill Newlands, said that the organization will continue to benefit from Aakre’s expertise. "His marketing experience has helped strengthen the connection between the company's brands and the people who love them, and he is a champion for the Austin, Minnesota, community. We're excited to have his perspective on the board, which, now at 12 members, we believe is a good size,” Newlands declared.
Aakre returned the compliments. "It's been incredibly rewarding to be part of this company's journey over the past 35 years," he declared. "I'm honored to join the Hormel Foods board and support the company's continued success in this new capacity. As a recently appointed director of The Hormel Foundation, I look forward to representing The Hormel Foundation and all of our shareholders."
