Hormel Foods Corporation, a global branded food company, announced that Jim Sheehan plans to retire as executive vice president and chief financial officer after 43 years with the company. Jacinth Smiley, group vice president of corporate strategy, has been named his successor and will become the company’s next executive vice president and chief financial officer, reporting to Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer.
Sheehan’s distinguished career at Hormel Foods spans more than four decades, including the last five years as chief financial officer for the company’s global operations. Sheehan plans to retire at the end of the calendar year.
Smiley, who will succeed Sheehan upon his retirement, joined Hormel Foods in 2021 as group vice president of corporate strategy after two decades in financial and accounting leadership at LyondellBasell, General Electric and others. Since joining Hormel Foods, Smiley has been leading the company’s overall corporate strategy while serving as a member of the senior leadership team. As chief financial officer, she will lead all aspects of the Hormel Foods financial strategy, performance, reporting and long-range business planning, as well as investor relations, treasury, tax, accounting and internal controls. Smiley will also oversee the company’s information technology area.
“As we planned for this transition, we actively sought someone with Jacinth’s skills, experience and commitment to our strong company culture. She is an impressive strategic and financial executive with deep and broad experience in corporate finance, public accounting and compliance,” Snee said. “Jacinth has significant long-term strategic planning experience in complex global organizations, which will be important as Hormel Foods continues to focus on growth in international markets. I am excited to watch the continued evolution of our finance acumen under her leadership as we execute our growth platforms and strategic imperatives, and continue to deliver value to our shareholders.”
About Jacinth Smiley
Prior to joining Hormel Foods in March 2021, Jacinth Smiley was vice president and chief accounting officer for LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. She spent 20 years with General Electric in various roles across multiple industries, rising to chief financial officer for GE Oil and Gas North America. In addition, she held other senior roles within GE Capital and GE’s industrial businesses. Smiley began her career at Arthur Andersen and then joined United Technologies, where she worked throughout the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia, ultimately becoming the finance manager of United Technologies’ regional treasury center in the United Kingdom.
Smiley holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from University of Connecticut and is a certified public accountant.
She is involved with numerous nonprofits focused on food insecurity, education and economic and community development.
