Lovette, 50, brings more than 27 years of industry leadership experience to Pilgrim's. Since 2008, he has served as president and COO of Case Foods Inc. Before joining Case, Lovette spent 25 years with Tyson Foods in various roles in senior management, including president of its International Business Unit, president of its Foodservice Business Unit and senior group vice president of Poultry and Prepared Foods. While at Tyson Foods, he served on the boards of Tyson de Mexico, Cobb-Vantress Inc. and EFS Network Inc.
"Bill is exceptionally qualified to lead Pilgrim's and our 41,000 employees to even greater success in the years ahead," said Jackson. "He brings a tremendous breadth of industry experience and a proven track record of success to this role. He has a deep knowledge of the poultry business and the market environment, and we believe that he will lead Pilgrim's to continued growth and profitability."