March 28, 2023

Smithfield Foods appoints new chief human resources officer and general counsel

Smithfield Foods has named Isham "Jay" Bennett to the newly created role of chief human resources officer and promoted Tennille Checkovich to general counsel.

Shane Smith, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods, said: "I'm excited to welcome Jay and Tennille to their new roles. Jay's human resources leadership in the manufacturing industry is unparalleled, and Tennille's continued work to elevate Smithfield's culture of legal and regulatory compliance has been exemplary. I look forward to their contributions to enhancing Smithfield's high-performance culture and legal and regulatory compliance aligned with our business strategy."

Bennett, a senior human resources leader in manufacturing operations, will serve as Smithfield's chief human resources officer, reporting to the president and chief executive officer.

In his newly created role, Bennett is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive talent strategy that further aligns Smithfield's business plan with its human resources function, and will lead the company's recruiting, retention, training and development, and diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.

Checkovich, a 20-year veteran of litigation and risk mitigation, has been promoted to general counsel, reporting to Mike Flemming, Smithfield's chief legal officer. She joined Smithfield in 2020 and most recently served as the company's deputy general counsel for litigation.

In her new role as general counsel, Checkovich is responsible for managing all litigation involving the company, overseeing risk mitigation efforts related to a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues and assisting the chief legal officer with management of the legal team.

- Smithfield