ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — Carol Kitchen, senior vice president/general manager of Global Dairy Ingredients for Land O'Lakes, Inc., was named Female Executive of the Year by the Women in Agribusiness National Advisory Board. Kitchen, who has worked at Land O'Lakes for 15 years, received the award during the Women in Agribusiness Summit held Thursday in Minneapolis.
The Women in Agribusiness' Demeter Award of Excellence is given in four categories, including Female Executive of the Year, which honors the achievements of executives and entrepreneurs who have significantly furthered the mission of women in agribusiness. This is the inaugural year of the award.
"In her career at Land O'Lakes, and particularly as an officer and member of our senior strategy team, Carol has had a significant impact on both our business and our culture of mentoring," said Chris Policinski, President and Chief Executive Officer at Land O'Lakes. "She translates her innovative approach to driving our global business into supporting her colleagues and developing future leaders. Carol is a strong advocate for women in leadership roles in food and agribusiness, and she fosters a deep commitment to collaboration and growth. We are very pleased to see her contributions recognized by others in the industry."
Kitchen has served in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility at Land O'Lakes and has more than 20 years of cooperative experience. In January 2012, she joined Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods division to lead the company's Global Dairy Ingredients business. Previously, Kitchen served as leader of Corporate Strategy, Business Development and International; vice president, International; and, Controller and Director of Strategy and International Development.
"It is an honor to be the inaugural recipient of this award," said Carol Kitchen. "Diversity of opinion matters – and the different perspective women bring to business challenges can strengthen our businesses overall. We need to engage women – and men – at all levels to ensure women are supported, mentored and encouraged to achieve senior level leadership roles throughout the food and agriculture industry."
Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations that span the spectrum from farm production to consumer foods. With 2012 annual sales of more than $14 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking in size at #194 on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 92 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands in agribusiness and food production including LAND O LAKES, Purina Animal Nutrition and WinField. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. The Land O'Lakes International Development division is one of the major agricultural outreach and food aid programs in the world. Since 1981, this division has helped generate economic growth and improve the quality of life for millions of people through more than 275 projects in 76 developing nations. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, MN.
Source: Land O'Lakes