Hormel announces leadership transition in Foodservice segmentHormel announces leadership transition in Foodservice segment

Mark Ourada, group vice president, Foodservice, retiring and will be succeeded by David Weber; sales executive moves also made.

February 3, 2025

4 Min Read

Hormel Foods Corp. announced the upcoming retirement of Mark Ourada, group vice president, Foodservice, following 37 years of dedicated service and leadership. In addition, the company announced sales executive moves in its Foodservice and Retail segments.

Throughout his nearly four-decade-long career with the company, Ourada has played an active role in the successful development and evolution of the $3.8 billion Foodservice business segment. He was also instrumental in the PLANTERS® brand integration and helped the company drive focus and growth in the convenience store channel.

David Weber a 33-year Hormel veteran and vice president of Foodservice sales, will succeed Ourada as group vice president, Foodservice, upon his retirement. Having dedicated 30 years of his career to Foodservice, Weber brings deep expertise and valuable insights to this top leadership role.

Further, Lynn Egner will move to the role of vice president of Foodservice following Weber’s advancement to group vice president, Foodservice. Natosha Walsh will move from her current role as vice president of marketing – Retail, Convenient Meals and Proteins to assume Egner’s role as vice president of Retail sales – West.

“Throughout his career, Mark has been a great steward of our business, strengthening our Foodservice leadership position and driving industry-leading growth. We are grateful for his vision, commitment and focus on delivering innovative products that support foodservice operators and meet their customers’ needs,” said Jim Snee, Hormel chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer.

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“David brings a wealth of experience to his new role, from his work in Hormel Foodservice to his leadership of our Burke organization. He played a pivotal role in the success of Burke and was instrumental in the smooth onboarding of the Fontanini business, one of our most impactful foodservice acquisitions to date. His leadership, expertise and commitment to fostering a strong culture will be a tremendous asset to the Foodservice business segment,” Snee continued.

Ourada began his career at Hormel in 1988 as a relief sales and merchandiser in Minneapolis, Minn., and was promoted to sales representative and territory manager the same year. A year later, he became a foodservice sales representative in San Antonio, Texas. In 1993, he became the foodservice account manager in Denver, Colo., and in 1995, he was promoted to foodservice account executive. In 1998, he moved back to Minneapolis as a foodservice area manager, then advanced to area manager, foodservice sales in 2001 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and became the regional sales manager there in 2005. He assumed the role of vice president of foodservice sales in October 2013 and moved into his current role of group vice president, Foodservice, in 2018.

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Weber began his career with Hormel in 1992 and has held several foodservice sales and product manager positions throughout the U.S. In 2006, Weber was promoted to Foodservice regional manager in Charlotte, N.C. He was named president of Burke Corp., a subsidiary of Hormel Foods, in 2012. He advanced to vice president of Foodservice marketing in October 2015 and assumed his current role of vice president, Foodservice sales, in 2018.

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As vice president of Foodservice sales, Egner will oversee the sales team and strategy for the Foodservice business segment. She will lead the development and implementation of the division’s sales plans for the foodservice and convenience channels, champion execution and culture development of the direct sales team and be responsible for leading customer relationships across all channels in the foodservice arena.

Egner joined Hormel in 1997 in the Foodservice sales organization and was quickly promoted to positions of increasing authority and reach. In 2014, she was promoted to director of distributor trade development for Foodservice and was named director of sales for Hormel Foods Deli Solutions in 2018. She assumed her current role of vice president of Retail sales – West in 2023.

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“Lynn is a dynamic leader with extensive experience in developing meaningful, long-term customer relationships in both our Foodservice and Retail segments,” said Snee. “She is well-positioned to lead our incredible team of foodservice sales experts.”

In her new role, Walsh will be responsible for the company’s retail sales strategy and execution with the company’s customers in the western region of the U.S.

Walsh joined Hormel in 1999. Throughout her career, she has held positions of increasing responsibility in brand management, sales, trade and category management, customer account leadership and supply chain. She was named vice president of sales in 2018 and advanced to vice president of Retail sales for national chains in 2022. She assumed her current role as vice president of marketing – Retail, Convenient Meals and Proteins in 2023.

“Natosha has a wealth of sales and marketing expertise that will enable her to drive innovative strategies, strengthen customer partnerships and deliver impactful results,” Snee said. “She is adept at creating solutions for our customers and will be integral to driving the continued strategic growth of our Retail sales organization.”

Hormel, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with approximately $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Spam, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin’s, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O, Planters, Skippy and more than 30 others.

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