President & Chief Executive, Smithfield Foods Inc.

Smith served as chief strategy officer nine months prior to stepping in as president and chief executive in July 2021. Smith, who joined the company in 2003, also was executive vice president of Smithfield’s European operations, president of Smithfield Romania, and chief financial officer for the company’s European operations. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Mount Olive and an MBA from William & Mary – Raymond A. Mason School of Business. Smithfield is a pork producer with a processing plant in Vernon and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based WH Group.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1