Tom Hayes
Chief Executive Officer, Tyson Foods
A consumer products veteran with more than 30 years of experience, Tom Hayes leads 114,000 team members globally. Appointed to his role as CEO in 2016, Tom heads up one of the world’s largest food companies with leading brands that include Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Sara Lee®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®.
Prior to his current role, Tom led all operations and commercial functions as President of Tyson Foods. He previously held positions in the company as chief commercial officer, overseeing all North American sales, as well as president of foodservice. Tom came to Tyson Foods with the acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company in 2014, where he held the position of chief supply chain officer responsible for operations, including procurement, manufacturing, food safety and quality, engineering and logistics.
Previously, Tom was senior vice president and chief supply chain officer for Sara Lee North America, responsible for the company’s North American Retail and Foodservice businesses’ supply chain activities. Prior to this role, Tom was president of Sara Lee Foodservice. Before joining Sara Lee in 2006, Tom served as group vice president of US Foodservice, Inc., where he oversaw the turnaround needs of broad line distribution facilities in the Northeast. Tom has also held general management, sales and marketing roles at ConAgra Foods, The Fort James Corporation, Stella Foods and Kraft Foods.
Tom is currently on the executive board of directors of the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). He has also served on the board of directors for the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA). Tom earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.