Leadership

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Tom Werner

PRESIDENT AND 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 an MBA 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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Bernadette Madarieta

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Bernadette Madarieta was named Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in August 2021 and is responsible for leading Lamb Weston’s Finance and IT organizations.

Bernadette joined Lamb Weston in 2016 as Vice President and Controller, building and leading the Accounting, Tax, and Financial Planning & Analysis teams. She has more than twenty years of experience strengthening and leading corporate finance functions, and prior to 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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Steven Younes

Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Steven Younes was named Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer in January 2022. He is accountable for all Human Resources functions for Lamb Weston and provides human resources strategy in support of the overall business plan and strategic direction of the company.

Steve has more than 30 years of experience in human resources and employment law. He joined Lamb Weston from Loews Hotels & Co., where he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer and led all people strategies and priorities for the organization. Prior to joining Loews, he was Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Ascension, a not-for-profit healthcare company. An employment lawyer by background, he spent 12 years in private practice and served as employment counsel to a number of organizations earlier in his career. 

Steve has a J.D. from Quinnipiac College School of Law, and a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Moravian College. 

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Eryk Spytek

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL AND CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER

Eryk Spytek joined Lamb Weston in October 2016 as SVP, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary. Eryk is responsible for managing Lamb Weston's Legal Department, and for advising the organization on various strategic, legal, and compliance matters.

Eryk joined us from Winston & Strawn LLP, where as a corporate partner he advised clients on complex corporate finance, governance, and disclosure issues. Previously, he was VP, Deputy General Counsel, and Assistant Secretary for Mead Johnson Nutrition Company, where he led corporate and regional legal teams and helped establish standalone legal and compliance capabilities; and SVP, General Counsel, and Secretary for Sirva, Inc.

Eryk earned a BA from Georgetown University, a JD from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and a LLM from The London School of Economics & Political Science. He serves as a board member for the Lamb Weston Foundation. 

 

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Sharon Miller

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, GLOBAL BUSINESS UNIT

Sharon Miller was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Lamb Weston Global Business Unit in 2016 when the company spun from Conagra Brands. In this role, she oversees Lamb Weston’s domestic chain and global businesses. As owner of the company’s end-to-end global customer relationships, she leads a team that leverages Lamb Weston’s industry-leading innovation to create partnerships for growth.

In her prior role, Sharon oversaw the Conagra McDonald’s Business Unit, where she applied Conagra’s best capabilities towards this global customer.

Sharon held various leadership positions during her tenure with Conagra including Vice President of Sales for Lamb Weston’s European joint venture – Lamb Weston/Meijer. In her role with Lamb Weston/Meijer, Sharon contributed significantly to record-setting top and bottom line results.

Sharon’s global experience crosses 25+ years and several disciplines, including sales, customer operations, and supply chain. Her extensive international experience positions her well for managing Lamb Weston’s global customer relationships.

Before taking her position with Lamb Weston/Meijer in Europe, Sharon was a key sales and business leader within Lamb Weston in both the United States and Canada. She also held various sales positions with North American foodservice distributors. 

Sharon is a graduate of University of Guelph (Canada) and holds her MBA through a joint international program of the Kellogg School of Business and Schulich School of Business (Canada).

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Gerardo Scheufler

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICER

Gerardo Scheufler was named Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for Lamb Weston in August 2019. He is responsible for Lamb Weston’s global end-to-end supply chain.

Gerardo has more than 25 years of Supply Chain experience, most recently as the Vice President of Global Operations at Mondelez International. During his tenure at Mondelez he oversaw a major global restructuring program to optimize the global supply chain footprint, including the manufacturing, customer service, quality, logistics, health, safety and environment, and innovation functions. In his role he had accountability for more than 50,000 employees at more than 150 global locations. Prior to his role at Mondelez, he spent more than 20 years at Procter & Gamble in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, after starting his career in plant operations.

Gerardo earned his MBA at Instituto Autonomo de Mexico, and has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering from Universidad La Salle.

 

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Mike Smith

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF FOODSERVICE, RETAIL, MARKETING AND INNOVATION

Mike Smith was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of Foodservice, Retail, Marketing and Innovation in June 2018.

Mike has held various leadership positions since joining ConAgra Foods in 2007, most recently as Senior Vice President, Growth and Strategy where he led Lamb Weston through a continued focus on industry-leading innovation, insights-based marketing, and corporate strategy with direct oversight of the Research and Innovation and Marketing organizations. He also served as Vice President & General Manager of Lamb Weston Retail, Vice President & General Manger of Private Brands, and Vice President of Global Marketing of Lamb Weston.

Mike is a graduate of Brigham Young University and holds an MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.

 

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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 twenty 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 B.A. from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School. She serves as a board member and Secretary for the Lamb Weston Foundation.