Tyson Foods has named a chief integration officer to support acquisitions that help drive the company’s strategic growth and raise the world’s expectations for how much good food can do.
George Chappelle, chief operating officer at AdvancePierre Foods, has been selected for the role. He will report directly to Tyson Foods President and CEO Tom Hayes and be a member of the company’s Enterprise Leadership Team.
Chappelle will manage the Integration Management Office and will lead all aspects of the integration of AdvancePierre, which Tyson Foods acquired earlier this month. He will also continue to lead operations for AdvancePierre. The Cincinnati-based business is a leading producer of ready-to-eat lunch and dinner sandwiches, sandwich components and snacks, and generated revenues of $1.6 billion in 2016.
“George’s experience and leadership will be valuable as we bring these two companies together and work to generate cost synergy benefits of $200 million within three years,” said Hayes. “An effective integration is an extremely important part of our strategic focus on sustainably feeding the world with the fastest growing portfolio of protein packed brands.”
Chappelle joined AdvancePierre as senior vice president-supply chain in 2014 and became chief operating officer in 2016. He has previously held operations and information technology leadership roles at companies such as Solo Cup, Sara Lee Foods, Heinz and the Gillette Company.
Chappelle earned a Master of Science in Applied Management at Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass., and a Bachelor of Science in information technology from Westfield State College in Westfield, Mass.
