Dive Brief:
- Hormel Foods named Donald Monk as its first chief technology officer and most senior technology leader effective March 23, the company said Tuesday. Monk will report to Hormel Foods President John Ghingo, a spokesperson said via email.
- Monk led global technology strategy and operations at General Mills during his 33-year tenure with the company, serving as CIO from 2018 to 2023. He most recently served as SVP of strategy, governance and transformation within Cargill’s digital technology and data organization. There, he led transformation efforts across digital and data functions, including analytics and AI.
- In his new role at Hormel Foods, Monk will build an enterprise technology, digital and data strategy to support growth, as well as modernize Hormel Foods’ technology and data platforms.
Dive Insight:
Hormel Foods, which counts Planters, Spam and Black Label bacon as part of its portfolio, underwent a corporate restructuring in November amid plans to accelerate technology and innovation initiatives.
“Hormel Foods remains focused on growth — and growth requires continued investment,” Ghingo said in a press release announcing the restructure. “We’re confident that our ongoing investments will strengthen our brands, improve efficiency and ensure Hormel Foods stays competitive and responsive to the needs of our consumers and customers.”
A month later, Jeffrey Ettinger, interim CEO, described the Minnesota-based company’s fiscal year 2025 as “challenging” during its Q4 2025 earnings call. However, its Transform and Modernize initiative helped offset pressures facing the company — such as rising costs — as its data and process maturity advanced, among other projects, Ettinger said.
The company is already using AI to improve marketing, Ghingo said during the call. For its Skippy peanut butter brand, Ghingo said Hormel Foods used generative AI to create 25 pieces of content daily for seasonal marketing. The firm is also implementing AI-enabled tools to streamline business planning and decision-making, he added.
“Enhanced data access, cutting-edge technology and modernized workflows are reinventing nearly every aspect of our business, across all aspects of our supply chain, cross-functional collaboration and all the way to the physical and digital shelf,” Ghingo said. “This includes new tools leveraging data and analytics for areas such as pricing, revenue growth management, real-time portfolio management and assortment optimization decisions.”
The company selected Monk as CTO given its push to innovate and his experience in leading transformations and implementing modern platforms, Ghingo said in a press release announcing the hire.
“Don is an exceptional technology leader with a proven track record of transforming large, global organizations and building modern digital capabilities that unlock business growth,” Ghingo said. “As we continue to prioritize the modernization of our technology and data platforms, Don’s experience and leadership will be critical in enhancing the capabilities that empower our business.”
