Hormel Foods Corporation, a Fortune 500 global branded food company, announced the appointment of Scott Aakre as group vice president and chief marketing officer of the Hormel Foods retail business. The retail business includes the company's portfolio of category-leading brands such as Planters, Skippy, Justin's, Dinty Moore, Hormel chili, Corn Nuts, Herdez and Wholly, as well as its iconic Spam brand, among others. Aakre will assume responsibility for continuing to evolve the company's brand portfolio to meet the changing needs of today's consumers, amplifying scale in snacking and entertaining, and growing the company's ethnic and food-forward portfolio.
Aakre most recently held the position of senior vice president of Brand Fuel, which includes the company's innovation, consumer and shopper insights teams, as well as its Digital Experience Group, the e-commerce team that supports the company's brands and businesses in the virtual marketplace.
"Scott brings more than 30 years of brand innovation, business acumen and marketing leadership to this role, which is critical to our long-term strategy," Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods, said in the announcement. "Scott understands what fuels our brands and how to apply innovation and insights to unlock value in the consumer marketplace."
Deanna Brady, executive vice president of Retail for Hormel Foods, added in the announcement: "Scott will play a pivotal role in driving growth by delivering products and experiences that resonate with our consumers and customers, while staying ahead of emerging trends and market dynamics. We are confident that Scott will bring fresh perspectives, strategic insights and a relentless focus on meeting and exceeding our customers' and consumers' expectations."
Aakre joined Hormel Foods in 1990 and held a variety of brand and product management positions for the company before being named group product manager in 2003 and director of marketing later that year. In 2005, he was promoted to vice president of marketing for the company's former Grocery Products division. He assumed the role of vice president of corporate innovation and new product development in 2011. In 2022, Aakre was named senior vice president of Brand Fuel.
Aakre earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota. He is involved in numerous industry groups and donates his time to several nonprofit organizations, including the United Way.
