Hormel Foods Executive Leslie Lee Recognized as One of Top Women in Grocery

Progressive Grocer magazine honors Lee for her leadership in shopper insights, digital marketing and e-commerce arenas

AUSTIN, Minn., June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, today announced that Leslie Lee, vice president of digital experience, was named one of the 2023 Top Women in Grocery (TWIG) by Progressive Grocer magazine.

Under Lee’s leadership, Hormel Foods has made significant investments in its omnichannel approach. She has succeeded in combining customer and consumer insights with the latest technology to deliver an outstanding experience across all sales touchpoints. Lee has been able to advance the company in key initiatives, including creating an inhouse search-strategy team and a digital content-syndication process, and her efforts led Hormel Foods to set a record for online sales in 2022.

“I’m incredibly honored,” said Lee. “One of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been to work alongside women who are trailblazers in the field to figure out what is next for the industry. These women are innovators, and we all push each other to new heights every day. I am sincerely humbled to be part of this year’s class chosen by Progressive Grocer.”

A graduate of Howard University and the University of Texas Austin’s McCombs School of Business, Lee is highly lauded at Hormel Foods for her dedication to growing talent and being an invaluable mentor to many young team members. She is driven to build a culture of inclusion.

“This honor is well deserved and is a testament to the great work that Leslie has accomplished during her career not only for our company, but for the entire industry as well,” said Deanna Brady, executive vice president of Retail, Hormel Foods, and a 2022 TWIG award winner. “Leslie is an inspirational leader, and we congratulate her on this award.”

The Progressive Grocer Top Women in Grocery program recognizes the integral role women play across all segments of the North American retail food and grocery industries. Now in its 17^th year, the award is the food industry’s longest running and most prestigious program recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of women at all levels of the industry.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS — Inspired People. Inspired Food.
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters^®, SKIPPY^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin’s^®, WHOLLY^®, Hormel^® Black Label^®, Columbus^®, Jennie-O^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the “Global 2000 World’s Best Employers” list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine’s most admired companies, has appeared on the “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food. — to bring some of the world’s most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation