To deliver on the organisation’s growth plans, it is critical that the Middle Office Functions provide our customers with high-quality, safe products and world-class service; while simultaneously improving our organizational speed, agility, and efficiency locally and globally.

To this end, I am very pleased to announce that in early September, Hugo Gutierrez is joining Kerry as Global Chief Quality & Food Safety Officer. Based in Beloit and reporting directly to me, Hugo will partner with me and the global Middle Office leadership team to become a world-class supply organisation fuelling the organisation’s growth. Specific to his role, Hugo will be responsible for leading the strategic advancement of our Quality, Health, Safety and Environment ( QHSE) function to:

• Build a ‘Safety First-Quality Always’ Culture within the global organisation, ensuring consistently superior quality, safety and sustainability for all stakeholders
• Ensure all production facilities are optimally managed and operating at globally superior standards for food quality, health, safety and environment
• Develop our diverse, mobile , and globally-connected talent capability and build a sustainable pipeline of future leaders in QHSE and the broader organisation.

Aligned to their regions and integrated to the local businesses, the following leaders will now also report functionally to Hugo in his new executive role:

Adrian Sharpe, Vice President, Global Supply Quality; Noeleen Donegan, Vice President of QHSE for Europe & Russia; Patricia McGeough, Vice President of QHSE for North America; Ulises Carrillo, Director of QHSE for Latin America; Michael Woods, Director Global QHSE FI&A; Mary O’Neill, Director Global Quality Systems; Rick Heiman, Director Global Hygiene; and Cecil Hoffman, QHSE lead for Primary Dairy.

Hugo brings to Kerry a wealth of expertise and leadership. During his 24-year career, Hugo has been instrumental in building world-class QHSE organisations for international companies including Pfizer, Cadbury, General Mills and most recently, as Global Vice President Food Quality, Regulatory & Food Safety for the Hershey Company. He has a degree in Industrial Engineering from Javeriana University – Columbia and a MBA from Icesi University, Columbia.

In addition, Hugo brings real passion for fostering greater diversity and inclusivity, demonstrated from his role as executive sponsor for the Hispanic Intracompany Business Network at Hershey; his volunteer activities to support the Hershey school orphanage for their diverse students; and his technical lead role for Hershey’s Partners in Food Solutions programme in Africa.

Hugo is a frequent key note speaker at international forums including GFSI, NAFS USA, Global FS Europe and Chinese food Safety / FDA. Hugo, his wife Diana and two sons Julian and Santiago reside in Palmyra, PA and will be relocating to the greater Beloit community as he takes on his new global executive role with Kerry.