Leadership

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Tom Werner

Chief Executive Officer

Tom Werner is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Lamb Weston, a role he’s held since November 2016, and serves as a director on Lamb Weston’s Board of Directors. 

As Chief Executive Officer, Tom led the organization through a spin-off from its former parent company, Conagra Brands; established an executive leadership team; and built all of the capabilities for a standalone organization. Under Tom’s leadership, Lamb Weston has grown its global manufacturing footprint through organic expansions and strategic acquisitions to maintain pace with growing global demand for french fries.

Tom has used his strategic thought leadership, general management, financial acumen, and team building skills to drive business performance and execution at Lamb Weston and throughout his career. Tom previously served as the President of Commercial Foods and interim president of private brands for Conagra. He served in roles of increasing responsibility across Conagra's Commercial Foods and Consumer Foods operating segments, during his 17-year career with Conagra Brands.

Tom holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an accounting emphasis from Saint Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, Kansas.

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Mike Smith

Chief Operating Officer

Mike Smith was named Chief Operating Officer in May 2023. 

Mike oversees Lamb Weston’s global end-to-end operations, including the company’s Commercial, Supply Chain, Agriculture, Marketing, Innovation and ESG organizations.

Mike has held various leadership positions since joining Lamb Weston in 2007, most recently as Senior Vice President, Foodservice, Retail, Innovation and Marketing where he led the commercial teams for the North American Foodservice and Retail businesses and oversaw all innovation and marketing activity. 

Mike holds a Master of Business Administration from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University.

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Bernadette Madarieta

Chief Financial Officer

Bernadette Madarieta was named Chief Financial Officer in August 2021. She is accountable for all Finance operations at the company.

Bernadette joined Lamb Weston in 2016 as Vice President and Controller, building and leading the Accounting, Tax, and Financial Planning & Analysis teams. Before joining Lamb Weston, she was a finance executive in the paper/wood products industry at Boise Inc., Boise Cascade, and Packaging Corporation of America. 

Bernadette is a Certified Public Accountant, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Boise State University.

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Eryk J. Spytek

General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer

Eryk Spytek joined Lamb Weston in October 2016 as General Counsel and is responsible for managing Lamb Weston’s Legal Department. He serves as a board member for the Lamb Weston Foundation.

Before joining Lamb Weston, Eryk was a corporate partner at Winston & Strawn LLP, where he advised clients on complex corporate finance, governance, and disclosure issues. 

Eryk holds a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University, a Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and a Master of Laws (LLM) from The London School of Economics & Political Science. 

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Steven Younes

Chief Human Resources Officer

Steve Younes was named Chief Human Resources Officer in January 2022. 

Steve is accountable for all of Lamb Weston’s Human Resources functions and provides strategy in support of the company’s overall business plan and strategic direction.

Steve joined Lamb Weston from Loews Hotels & Co., where he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer.

Steve holds a Juris Doctor from Quinnipiac College School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Moravian College. 

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Sukshma Rajagopalan

Chief Information and Digital Officer

Sukshma Rajagopalan was named Chief Information and Digital Officer in June 2023.

Sukshma is accountable for establishing and executing Lamb Weston’s digital strategy for the global organization. She joined Lamb Weston from Avantor, where she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer.

Sukshma holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Madras, India and a Master of Business Administration from University of Houston-Clear Lake.

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Sharon Miller

President, North America

Sharon Miller was named President, North America in May 2023 and oversees Lamb Weston’s commercial business in North America. 

Sharon joined Lamb Weston in 1999, and previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Business Unit leading the domestic chain and international business.

Sharon is a graduate of University of Guelph (Canada) and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Business and Schulich School of Business (Canada).

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Marc Schroeder

President, International

Marc Schroeder was named President, International in May 2023 and oversees all of Lamb Weston’s international commercial business, including China, Greater Asia, EMEA, Latin America, and Oceana. 

Marc previously served as CEO of Lamb Weston/Meijer since January 2021 and was responsible for all strategic affairs, accountable for the overall business performance. 

Marc holds an International Baccalaureate from St. Clare’s, Oxford and a Master of Science in Business/Managerial Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam.

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Dexter P. Congbalay

Vice President, Investor Relations

Dexter Congbalay joined Lamb Weston in January 2017 as Vice President, Investor Relations and is responsible for managing Lamb Weston’s relationships with the investment community.  

Dexter has more than 30 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and investor relations, and most recently led investor relations and treasury at Mondelēz International after they spun-off the North American Grocery business. Previously, he held senior positions in M&A or investor relations at Kraft Foods Inc., General Electric, and AT&T Corp.

Dexter is a graduate of Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science.

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Greg Jones

Vice President and Controller

Greg Jones was named Vice President and Controller in August 2021 and leads Lamb Weston’s Accounting, Reporting, and Financial Planning and Analysis organizations.

Greg joined Lamb Weston in 2016 as Director of Financial Reporting and played an integral role establishing our financial reporting team. He has more than 20 years of experience in finance at public companies and auditing firms. Prior to Lamb Weston, he was the Director of Paper Finance at Packaging Corporation of America. He also worked at Boise Inc., where he served in roles of increasing responsibility in the finance department, including Director of Investor Relations; and Deloitte & Touche, as Audit Senior Manager.

Greg is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Master of Accountancy degree from Brigham Young University. He serves as a board member and Treasurer for the Lamb Weston Foundation.

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Phuong Lam

Vice President and Corporate Secretary

Phuong Lam was named Vice President and Corporate Secretary in November 2020. Phuong focuses on SEC and NYSE compliance, corporate governance, shareholder matters, and supporting the company’s Board of Directors. She also advises the organization on various financing, strategic, legal, and compliance matters.

Phuong joined Lamb Weston in 2017 as Senior Counsel, Securities and Governance. Prior to that, she was Chief Counsel, Securities, at The Kraft Heinz Company where she was responsible for compliance with the securities and stock exchange rules and regulations. She also advised on matters related to Kraft’s Board of Directors, as well as M&A and financing transactions. Previously, Phuong was SEC Counsel at SIRVA, Inc. and began her legal career as an associate at the law firm Jones Day. 

Phuong earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School. She serves as a board member and Secretary for the Lamb Weston Foundation.