Justin Whitmore, presently executive vice president of alternative protein for Tyson Foods, will be leaving the company after being named chief strategy officer of Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP).
Whitmore’s appointment with KDP is effective March 1. He will be reporting to KDP Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Gamgort. He will join the ELT and lead enterprise strategy work, including mergers and acquisitions, and corporate partnerships.
Whitmore joins KDP from Tyson Foods, where he played a key role in the company's global growth, value creation and venture capital strategy. Prior to serving as the company’s executive vice president of alternative protein, he was the executive vice president and chief strategy & sustainability officer. He joined Tyson Foods on May 1, 2017.
Prior to coming to Tyson Foods, Whitmore was an associate partner at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on consumer products and worked extensively with clients in the food and beverage sector. He was previously with Booz & Company, now known as Strategy& as part of the PwC network.
Whitmore holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 2019, he was named to CNN's Risk Takers list, recognizing the top 20 leaders pushing global business forward. He also has been named one of the Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine and among Black Enterprise Magazine's 300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.
Commenting on Whitmore's hiring, Gamgort said: "Justin is an exceptional addition to the KDP leadership team. He has a proven track record as an executive who drives innovative strategies, champions consumer insights and delivers transformative results. We're excited to welcome him to our leadership team."
KDP is a leading beverage company in North America, with annual revenue in excess of $11 billion and nearly 26,000 employees.
