AUSTIN, Minn., Sept. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation HRL, a global branded food company, today announced the upcoming retirement of Kurt Mueller, senior vice president of Consumer Products Sales (CPS) and vice president of Hormel Foods. Mueller will retire after 39 years of distinguished service with the company. As a result, Natosha Walsh, director of Albertsons and Safeway business for CPS, has been named senior vice president of CPS and vice president of Hormel Foods, effective at the start of fiscal year 2019.

"Kurt has been a strong leader in the CPS organization, driving growth and providing mentorship to our sales teams throughout our business. We congratulate him on a great career and wish him all the best in his upcoming retirement," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods.

"Natosha is well prepared to assume Kurt's responsibilities and has earned a reputation for being a customer-focused leader," said Deanna Brady, group vice president of consumer products sales at Hormel Foods. "I look forward to Natosha providing leadership and bold thinking to the sales organization."

During his career at Hormel Foods, Mueller has brought a passion and commitment to recruiting, succession planning and performance management, and his experience in logistics and sales planning has provided the CPS organization with a unique perspective.

Walsh has been a driver for the advancement of women within CPS and throughout the company, serving as a member of company's employee resource group Women's Insights Network from its inception. In addition to her time with the company, Walsh has been an active member of the Network of Executive Women for over 15 years. She was just named co-chair of the Boise chapter, where she is responsible for establishing this chapter.

Mueller
Mueller graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing. He joined the company in 1979 in sales and advanced through various sales roles before becoming a product manager, district manager and director of retail marketing. His career continued to advance in sales and marketing and he was named senior vice president of business planning for CPS in 2004 and then assumed his current role in 2014.

Walsh
Walsh graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in marketing and international business and began her career with the company in 1999. Throughout her career, she has held positions of increasing responsibility in supply chain, category management, customer account leadership and product management.

About Hormel Foods – Inspired People. Inspired Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenues across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin's^®, Wholly Guacamole^®, Hormel^® Black Label^®, Columbus^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the 10^th year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. In 2016, the company celebrated its 125^th anniversary and announced its new vision for the future — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ — focusing on its legacy of innovation. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

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SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation