Hormel Foods Corp. has announced the appointment of Paul Kuehneman as interim chief financial officer and controller, effective Oct. 27, 2025.

He will report to Jeff Ettinger, interim chief executive officer, and is accountable for the company's accounting, finance, treasury, and internal controls functions.

With more than 30 years of business and finance experience at Hormel Foods, Kuehneman has held a variety of leadership roles, including director of internal audit, vice president and chief financial officer for the Jennie-O Turkey Store, assistant controller, and most recently, vice president and controller of Hormel Foods.

"Paul is a respected leader with deep knowledge of our business and a proven track record of results," Ettinger said. "His broad experience across the organization over three decades makes him well-equipped to support our company's strategy, maintain financial discipline, and drive long-term shareholder value."

Kuehneman succeeds Jacinth Smiley who is leaving the company and will be pursuing other opportunities.

"I want to thank Jacinth for her many contributions to Hormel Foods, our culture, and our team," said Ettinger. "We wish her the best in her next endeavor."

Hormel intends to conduct a chief financial officer search and will include internal and external candidates in the process.

Fourth quarter update

Hormel Foods also provided an update on several topics related to its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter, which ended on Oct. 26, 2025.

Hormel continues to anticipate strong top-line results for the fourth quarter, driven by sustained demand across its retail, foodservice and international businesses. Key contributors include the company's turkey portfolio.

While the company's protein-centric portfolio remained relevant to customers and consumers in the quarter, the company continued to experience persistent inflation in key commodity inputs, at levels exceeding expectations. Additionally, the company was impacted by the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and pneumoviruses within the poultry industry. Hormel Foods remains focused on mitigating these headwinds through productivity initiatives and strategic pricing actions.

Source: Hormel Foods