Land O'Lakes Snags Next COO from Cargill

Land O'Lakes, Inc. announced that Chris Roberts would join the organization as executive vice president and chief operating officer, Dairy Foods, effective Feb. 6.

Roberts will report to Beth Ford, group executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Purina Animal Nutrition and U.S. Dairy Foods businesses. In addition, Ford has responsibility for supply chain and operations, information technology and research and development across the entire Land O'Lakes, Inc. enterprise. 

The move marks the re-unification of all Land O'Lakes Dairy businesses, including the global powder organization, under one executive in a new position for the company.

"We're excited to welcome Chris Roberts to Land O'Lakes," Ford stated. "Chris is a best-in-class leader, known to drive innovation, and brings both commodity and branded goods experience. We firmly believe Chris' strong leadership will help Land O'Lakes accelerate into our next phase positioned for faster and more competitive growth."

Roberts joins Land O'Lakes from Cargill, where he was the president of Cargill Value Added Proteins division. He was responsible for integrating two existing businesses, creating and implementing a compelling and sustainable growth strategy, deepening customer acumen and elevating employee engagement. Prior to that, he served as president of the Cargill Kitchens. Prior to Cargill, he built his career in leadership roles at both PepsiCo and The Coca Cola Company.

"I look forward to joining Land O'Lakes for three distinct reasons – the people, the brands and the mission," Roberts said. "I am joining the people of Land O'Lakes at a critical point in the company's growth trajectory. I look forward to driving deeper consumer affinity for the wonderful Land O'Lakes brands. And, finally, joining in our collective quest to feed human progress."