McCormick picks top exec to be new president, COO

McCormick & Co. has named one of its top executives, Brendan Foley, to the newly created role of president and chief operating officer, the Hunt Valleybased spice and flavorings company announced Monday.

In his new role, starting June 1, Foley will continue to report to Lawrence Kurzius, McCormick’s chairman and CEO. Kurzius has been CEO since February 2016.

Foley currently serves as McCormick’s president of global consumer for the Americas and Asia. He will take on responsibility for all of McCormick’s business units and its worldwide supply chain. New areas of responsibility include heading the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

The company credited Foley with playing key roles in leading McCormick’s expansion. McCormick reported record growth with $6.3 billion in sales last year. The company has seen its profits squeezed by inflation and supply chain challenges during the first quarter of 2022, when sales rose 3%.

Foley joined the spice and flavorings maker in 2014 as president of the U.S. consumer products division. In 2016, he was appointed president of the North America division, taking on responsibilities of president of the global consumer division. That year, he also became a member of the company’s management committee.

Before joining McCormick, Foley worked for HF Heinz, which is now Kraft Heinz, for nearly 15 years. At Heinz, he rose from brand manager to zone president of North America.

He previously worked for General Mills and Ketchum Advertising. Foley is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio’s School of Business Administration.