Benson Hill Inc., a food tech company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants, is announcing the appointment of Kimberly (Kim) Hurst as its chief transformation officer. This newly created role underscores Benson Hill’s commitment to execute its long-term strategic playbook with a focus on operations, commercial and strategic initiatives.

Since going public in September 2021, Benson Hill has established customers and licensing partners in both the food and aquaculture industries and demonstrated the value of its seed-to-ingredient competitive advantage. In her new role, Hurst will lead cross-functional projects to drive efficiencies in the business, direct companywide resourcing, and develop operational strategies for achieving the company’s financial objectives.

Hurst will also oversee the exploration of robust partnership models that leverage the full power of the company’s technology platform, research and development pipeline, assets and capabilities, and intellectual property portfolio while it propels its strategy and evolution forward. Hurst will join the Benson Hill Executive Leadership Team and will report directly to Deanie Elsner, interim CEO.

“Kim’s strategic insight and business development success within Benson Hill made her a clear choice for this important position,” Elsner said. “Unlocking the full potential of our technology, particularly for large-acre livestock and international markets, requires internal and external collaboration that maximizes synergies of our assets and capabilities with the products and processes of others. Kim’s deep financial acumen and extensive experience across the agri-food value chain will serve us well in this role.”

Hurst has extensive strategic, financial, operational, and supply chain expertise in both the CPG and agribusiness sectors. Prior to joining Benson Hill in 2020 as vice president of corporate development, she served as senior vice president of long-term planning at Post Holdings during its transformation into a diversified food holdings company. She also served as senior director of corporate financial planning & analysis and business development, vice president of supply chain for the cereal business, and held various leadership roles in integration and international sales. Prior to Post, Hurst worked as director of commodity procurement & risk management for Ralcorp after serving as the regional director for the U.S. Grains Council in Southeast Asia. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs and is the co-founder of Finally Foods.

“Since joining Benson Hill I’ve gained great appreciation for the unique advantages we can bring to every vertical of the agri-food value chain,” said Hurst. “Current and future market challenges underscore the importance of innovative solutions, and I look forward to exploring deeper collaborations that unlock value creation and cost efficiency opportunities.”

Source: Benson Hill Inc.