Beth Ford | |
---|---|
Born | March 1964 (age 60) Sioux City, Iowa, U.S. |
Education | Iowa State University (BBA) Columbia University (MBA) |
Spouse | Jill Schurtz |
Children | 3 |
Beth E. Ford is an American businessperson. Ford is most notable for being the CEO of Land O'Lakes, an American agricultural cooperative which she assumed leadership of in 2018. She is the first openly gay female CEO of an American Fortune 500 company. She currently serves as a member of the President's Export Council. [1] In 2023. She was ranked 26th on Fortune's list of Most Powerful Women. [2]
Ford was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the fifth in a family of eight children, and attended Catholic schools through high school. [3] [4] Her father was a truck driver and a used car salesman, while her mother was a nurse before completing her master's degree and becoming a psychologist. [5] [4] Ford's mother was left in an orphanage when she was five by her parents, eventually getting adopted at age ten. Her mother demonstrated to her children how to overcome hardship. [6] Ford claims that her mother "has been the most significant role model to me in my life". [7]
Ford started working in the agriculture business at age 12, making $2 an hour de-tasseling corn [8] [9] and worked a number of jobs to support her college education, including as a janitor, house painter, and convenience store cashier. [4]
Ford completed her undergraduate degree at Iowa State University, where she pursued her interests in marketing, finance and operations and was initiated into Alpha Gamma Delta. [10] Her first job was with Mobil Oil Company when she was in her 20s on the tanker, the marketing and refining side. [5] She then worked in supply-chain management at ExxonMobil, Pepsi, and Scholastic, among other companies. [10] [9]
Ford joined Land O'Lakes in 2011, [11] being named as chief supply chain and operations officer. She continued at the company, eventually being promoted to COO, and in August 2018 was appointed as president/CEO by an all-male board. [11] [12] At the time Ford became CEO, she was one of 25 women leading Fortune 500 companies. [10] She is the ninth person to hold this position. [11] She became the first openly-gay female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a fact remarked upon by several sources. [13] [8] As CEO, Ford has invested heavily in Land O'Lakes implementation of new technologies in agriculture as well as the vibrancy of rural communities. [3]
Ford has stated that the biggest challenges facing American farmers is policy uncertainty, weather and the changing climate, and a lack of broadband access. [9] In Ford's view, the key to preserving American agriculture relies upon innovation, technology, and political stability. [9] Ford has been an advocate for getting high-speed Internet access to rural and underserved areas, calling on the government to provide funds to close the 'digital divide' that is impacting employment, education, and progress. [14] She has also called on major companies and organizations to join the American Connection Project, an effort started by Land O'Lakes to advocate for three main principles: robust federal funding for broadband infrastructure, improved broadband connectivity mapping and better coordination of federal and state agencies to deploy funding. [15] [16]
Ford sits on the board of directors of the Business Roundtable, US Global Leadership Coalition, Paccar, and the Columbia University Deming Center as well as Iowa State University College of Business. [11] [17] In 2021, Ford was elected to the BlackRock Inc. board of directors. [18]
In August 2019, Ford was one of 181 leading CEOs in the United States to sign Business Roundtable's new Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. [19] The new statement include that companies should serve not only their shareholders, but also deliver value to their customers, invest in employees, deal fairly with suppliers, and support the communities in which they operate. [20] Ford is quoted as saying the new statement matches the history of Land O'Lakes as a farmer-owned cooperative. [20]
In February 2020, the Land O'Lakes company removed the Native American woman as its logo on its butter and cheese products. [5] Ford is quoted as saying the removal of the "butter maiden" to the words "farmer owned" was more about what the farmer-owned co-op wanted to communicate rather than what it didn't, that the change did not come from pressure placed on the company. [21] She stated that the new images of fields, lakes, and farmers on their packaging represent Land O’ Lakes is a cooperative, owned not by public market shareholders but by the farmers who make its butter, animal feed and more. [4]
In a 2022 interview, Ford shared her experience on what has shaped her to become a CEO. Ford gave advice on how she pays attention to her physical health that which gives her mental clarity. She practices gratitude to her family and her support team. Ford emphasises two traits that she sees are essential in business; humility and authenticity. [22] In 2018 Ford was named in Fortune's Most Powerful Women in Business list. [23] Ford was named to the Fortune Most Powerful Women List in 2020 for the third year in a row. [24] Ford was also named to the 2021 and 2022 Fast Company Queer 50 list. [25] [26]
Ford sits on the Board of Directors for Starbucks Corporation. [27] [28]
Ford is married to Jill Schurtz, the CEO of the St. Paul's Teachers' Retirement Fund Association. They have three teenage children. [29]
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker at Seattle's Pike Place Market initially as a coffee bean wholesaler. Starbucks was converted into a coffee shop serving espresso-based drinks under the ownership of Howard Schultz, who was chief executive officer from 1986 to 2000 and led the aggressive expansion of the franchise across the West Coast of the United States.
Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an American member-owned agricultural cooperative based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States, focusing on the dairy industry. The cooperative has 1,959 direct producer-members, 751 member-cooperatives, and about 9,000 employees who process and distribute products for about 300,000 agricultural producers, handling 12 billion pounds of milk annually. It is ranked third on the National Cooperative Bank Co-op 100 list of mutuals and cooperatives. The co-op is one of the largest producers of butter and cheese in the United States through its dairy foods business; serves producers, animal owners and their families through more than 4,700 local cooperatives, independent dealers and other large retailers through its Purina Animal Nutrition business; and delivers seed, crop protection products, agricultural services and agronomic insights to 1,300 locally owned and operated cooperative and independent agricultural retailers and their grower customers through its WinField United business.
Abigail Pierrepont Johnson is an American billionaire businesswoman and the granddaughter of late Edward C. Johnson II, the founder of Fidelity Investments. Since 2014, Johnson has been president and chief executive officer (CEO) of American investment firm Fidelity Investments (FMR), and chair of its former sister company Fidelity International (FIL). Fidelity was founded by her grandfather Edward C. Johnson II. Her father, Edward C. "Ned" Johnson III, remained chair emeritus of FMR until his death in March 2022. As of March 2013, the Johnson family owned a 49% stake in the privately-held company, with Johnson herself holding an estimated 24.5%. She is a board member of Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Tractor Supply Company, founded in 1938, is an American chain store that sells home improvement, agriculture, lawn and garden maintenance, livestock, equine and pet care equipment and supplies. It caters to farmers, ranchers, pet owners, and landowners. As of 2024, the company had 2,250 stores. It is based in Brentwood, Tennessee. It is publicly traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol TSCO and is a Fortune 500 company.
Indra Nooyi is an Indian-born American business executive who was the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018.
Mellody Louise Hobson Lucas is an American businesswoman who is president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, and former chair of Starbucks. She is the former chairman of DreamWorks Animation, having stepped down after negotiating the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., by NBCUniversal in August 2016. In 2017, she became the first African-American woman to head The Economic Club of Chicago. On December 26, 2020 it was announced she would become chair of Starbucks in 2021, thus becoming the first black woman to chair a S&P 500 company, making her one of the highest profile corporate directors in the United States. She would serve in the role of chair until August 2024.
Dame Angela Jean Ahrendts, is an American-British businesswoman who was previously the senior vice president of retail at Apple Inc. She was the CEO of Burberry from 2006 to 2014. She left Burberry to join Apple in 2014. She was ranked 25th in Forbes' 2015 list of the most powerful women in the world, 9th most powerful woman in the U.K. in the BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour 100 Power List, and 29th in Fortune's 2014 list of the world's most powerful women in business. She was also a member of the UK's Prime Minister's business advisory council until it was disbanded in 2016.
Stephen Gillett is an American businessman, entrepreneur and technology leader. He is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Verily, formerly Google Life Sciences. He was Chief Executive Officer of Chronicle Security, an Alphabet company born out of X, the moonshot factory and founded in 2016. Gillett is also an active adviser at X.
The phrase women in business refers to female businesspeople who hold positions, particularly leadership in the fields of commerce, business, and entrepreneurship. It advocates for their increased participation in business.
Rosalind G. Brewer is an American businesswoman and former CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, before stepping down in September 2023. Brewer is the first woman to become CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, group president and COO of Starbucks, and CEO of Sam's Club. She currently serves as a member of the President's Export Council.
Mary Teresa Barra is an American businesswoman who has been the chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of General Motors since January 15, 2014. She is the first female CEO of a 'Big Three' automaker. In December 2013, GM named her to succeed Daniel Akerson as CEO. Prior to being named CEO, Barra was executive vice president of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain.
Lynn J. Good is chair, president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy, a Fortune 500 company. Good is an Ohio native and graduated from Miami University where she earned a BS in Systems Analysis and Accounting (1981). In 2023, she ranked 65th in Forbes list of "World's 100 most powerful women". She was ranked 31st on Fortune's list of Most Powerful Women in 2023.
Lisa Tzwu-Fang Su is an American billionaire business executive, computer scientist, and electrical engineer who is the president, chief executive officer (CEO), and chair of the semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
Debra Ann Crew is the president and CEO of Diageo. She is also a board member of Mondelez International, and the former president and chief executive officer of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. She previously held senior management positions at PepsiCo, Mars, Incorporated, and Dreyer's.
Annie Young-Scrivner is a Chinese-American business executive who is now serving two years as the chief executive officer of Wella Company. She previously held senior positions at Godiva Chocolatier, PepsiCo, and Starbucks.
Sonia Syngal is an American businesswoman who formerly served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Gap, Inc., the largest specialty apparel company in the U.S.
Julie Terese Sweet is an American business executive and attorney. She is chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of Accenture, a multinational professional services company.
Michelle D. Gass (Petkers) is an American businesswoman who serves as the CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. She previously served as CEO of department store Kohl's.
Revathi Advaithi is an Indian-born American business executive. She is the CEO of Flex and an advocate for women in STEM and in the workplace.
Heyward Donigan is an American business executive. She served as President and CEO of Rite Aid from 2019 to 2023.