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Incoming Tyson CEO Tom Hayes Not Starting From Scratch

6 min read

Tom Hayes, 51, joined Tyson Foods after the company purchased Hillshire Brands Co. of Chicago for $8.5 billion in 2014. Hayes had been chief supply chain officer at Hillshire and was named president of food service at Tyson after the acquisition. He was promoted to chief commercial officer in 2015 and president of the company in June 2016.

Hayes has held executive positions with Sara Lee North America and U.S. Foodservice Inc. and management positions with several companies, including ConAgra Foods and Kraft Foods.

Hayes earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Tyson Foods announced Nov. 21 that Hayes had been appointed to the board of directors and would succeed Donnie Smith as CEO on Dec. 31.

What has the transition from Hillshire to Tyson been like?

It’s been exciting. There’s so much opportunity to be a company like no other in our industry. We’ve been working hard to come together as one team that combines a powerful supply chain and industry-leading marketing. There has been a lot of assessment done around best practices between the two companies, and we have been focused on making the right talent choices for long-term success. We’re transforming, and at times that can be difficult, but generally it’s been a source of energy.

How would you describe your leadership philosophy, and what influenced it?

My leadership philosophy is to create great leadership teams top to bottom, teams that have the right amount of process discipline and a full dose of trust. Highly effective teams tackle opportunities and challenges with speed and efficiency, and develop talent throughout the organization that not only delivers performance but does it in the right way.

I have had 29 years in the industry seeing great leaders get great results, in addition to poor leaders getting great results but getting them in a way that wasn’t respectful to their teams. Everyone has the right to feel respected and fulfilled at work if they hold up their end of the bargain, and I believe that most people start from a place of positive intent.

You are one of several high-profile Hillshire executives who are now making their marks at Tyson. How has that transition gone?

Frankly, I don’t think about being a “former Hillshire” executive too much. Hillshire was only 2 years old when the acquisition happened, so the culture was just emerging. The transformation of coming together as one team has been going really well by just about any measure.

How have the new voices, so to speak, changed or improved the existing Tyson culture?

I can’t say any one group has cornered the market on great ideas. I love what I see happening at our company. We have the pleasure of working for a company with a rich collective heritage that is immensely diverse. We are finding the diversity of our people, their backgrounds and their points of view are a treasure trove that we’re just starting to mine. Our expertise in fresh and frozen foods is in line with what consumers crave and what our customers are anxious for us to support. Our team members are excited about taking full advantage of every opportunity ahead of us.

Maintaining focus on what matters most will be a challenge, but hey, we’ll take that over the alternative any day.

How comfortable are you as the new voice in a long successful company?

Tyson Foods is not built around any one person. From our front line workers to the leadership team, everyone has a voice. I have the honor of being the spokesperson and team leader in many instances, but my role is to make sure I leverage the collective power of all 114,000 team members. I feel so fortunate to be able to play a leadership role at Tyson. It’s a great responsibility and a great honor — every day.

You have worked for many companies during your career. What about Tyson surprised you or impressed you?

The most impressive thing about our company is the breadth of skills and resources we have to satisfy consumers and customers.

I’ve been with what is now Tyson Foods for 10 years. Earlier in my career I worked for companies that had pockets of greatness, but none with the end-to-end power of this company to help customers grow. I’ve also been surprised by the openness of our team members to new ideas. Our team consistently pushes themselves to think differently — and that’s something we can build on.

What was your biggest career mistake and what did you learn from it?

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career. I try not to make the same ones twice, but I know that failing fast is a part of what makes a healthy, growing company.

The mistakes that stand out to me are being too slow to make talent moves that in my gut I know are right. The right choices are usually fairly apparent. I’ve learned that being decisive on key people moves that are in the best interest of the enterprise is one of the most important things a leader can do.

Tyson is making a strong move into branded prepared food, and the early results are certainly promising. What are the company’s expectations of becoming a “hybrid” provider of prepared food and fresh meats?

Our expectations are to continue to drive expansion in growing categories in all of our businesses. We are fortunate to have a large consumer business in addition to a large and healthy food service business. As a result, we’re focused on anticipating consumer needs regardless of the channel. We want to delight consumers whether they’re enjoying our great products at restaurants or buy them for home use from our retail partners.

At retailers, our industry has been known as “consumer package goods.” We believe a better description of where we’re headed is being the industry’s best “consumer fresh goods” company. We bring unmatched capabilities to drive growth with our customers, and we aim to help them succeed in both fresh and prepared foods.

Local food sourcing and humane treatment of animals have become important issues in the food industry. What is Tyson doing in these areas, and how can it be better?

We believe we can always be better in everything we do. We have a culture that is committed to continuous improvement. Transparency in the way food is made through the supply chain is something that today’s conscious consumer is demanding. We’re actively engaged in not only understanding consumer preferences but making sure we are continuously improving our supply chain practices. We are committed to the humane treatment of animals and operating as good stewards of our environment.

Our corporate social responsibility agenda is rooted in the belief that Tyson Foods can lead the industry in building the most sustainable supply chain at scale that delivers high-quality, affordable foods that consumers love. That’s a tall order, but we believe we have the talent and assets to do it.

How did you get involved in this industry?

I started working in the food business in high school at a restaurant in New Hampshire. I was its first dishwasher, but by the time I graduated I was a sous chef and was hooked. After college, I worked in sales for a dairy company and, as they say, “the rest is history.” I love the hardworking, fun-loving nature of people in the food business. It’s really a special industry.

What is the best advice you received in your life, either professionally or personally?

The best advice I have ever received was to take your work really seriously, but not take yourself too seriously. Work and fun can and should go hand in hand. An engaging culture where people feel challenged and accomplished and at the same time truly enjoy each other’s company is the goal.

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