The J. M. Smucker Company has announced an evolution of its executive leadership structure and team. Among the new appointments, Jeannette Knudsen has been elected chief legal and compliance officer and secretary.

In this role, Knudsen will continue to lead the company’s legal, regulatory, compliance,and risk management functions. According to her LinkedIn profile, Knudsen first joined Smuckers in 2002 as corporate counsel, progressing to the role of senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary, prior to her latest promotion.

Smuckers announced the new executive leadership structure, effective Nov. 25, is designed to sharpen the company’s focus on strategic initiatives, enhance accountability for business delivery, streamline decision making, and enable greater agility to ensure delivery of strategic and financial priorities.

“This planned evolution of our leadership structure is an important step to ensure we are positioned to meet and exceed the needs of today and tomorrow’s retailers and consumers,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Smucker. “The board of directors and I are confident the changes we are making will strengthen our company and ensure each of our 7,591 talented employees are empowered and focused on delivering our strategy, which creates value for our shareholders and all constituents.”

The company also announced separately, among several other executive leadership changes, that vice chair and CFO Mark Belgya will retire Sept. 1, 2020, and that Tucker Marshall, vice president of finance, will succeed Belgya as CFO following the completion of the current fiscal year on May 1, 2020.

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