Foster Farms appoints Jayson Penn as new CEO
Jayson Penn succeeds Donnie Smith, who was named CEO of Foster Farms in conjunction with Atlas Holdings’ acquisition in June 2022.
Courtesy Foster Farms
Foster Farms is announcing the appointment of Jayson Penn as chief executive officer. Penn joins Foster Farms having most recently served as president of John Soules Foods after a career across many poultry companies. He succeeds Donnie Smith, who was named CEO of Foster Farms in conjunction with Atlas Holdings’ acquisition in June 2022. As part of this leadership transition, Foster Farms also announced James Richards as chief financial officer.
Penn is an accomplished leader in the poultry industry. He began his career in his family’s poultry business and spent nearly a decade with Pilgrim’s, ultimately serving as CEO. Before joining Pilgrim’s, he held various sales and operations roles with Case Foods, Marshall Durbin Cos. and Sanderson Farms.
Richards joins Foster Farms having most recently served as president and CEO of Kodi Collective, where he led a successful turnaround of the business. Before joining Kodi Collective, he spent 22 years with General Electric, serving across diverse industries in senior chief financial officer, chief information officer and operations transformation leadership roles.
“Foster Farms has been a household name for nearly a century, and I’m excited to continue working to position this iconic brand for success for many years to come. We will be focused on serving our team members and supporting our customers with products they can trust. A solid foundation for smart growth has been set, and I’m ready to get started,” Penn said.
“We are excited to have Jayson on board to lead the transformation journey underway. Jayson and James bring immediate strength to the broader Leadership Team. Jayson’s deep industry experience and commitment to operational excellence provide the right combination to lead Foster Farms into the future,” said Atlas Partners Sam Astor, Ed Fletcher and Mike Sher.
Source: Foster Farms
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