Tyson Foods has names Devin Cole, the head of its poultry business, as COO at the same time as announcing the exit of its supply-chain chief for breaching the company’s code of conduct.
Cole will now oversee divisions including poultry, beef and pork along with prepared foods and the meat giant’s international operations.
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The appointment was announced yesterday (2 September) alongside the departure of Brady Stewart, Tyson Foods’ chief supply chain officer.
Stewart has left the company for “certain actions” that the company said “violated the Tyson Foods code of conduct”.
In February, Tyson Foods had promoted Cole and Stewart to new positions within the company.
Cole took on the role of group president of poultry, succeeding Wes Morris.
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By GlobalDataStewart, meanwhile, had his responsibilities expanded to include the oversight of the prepared foods segment, in addition to his role as group president of beef, pork, and chief supply chain officer.
Following Stewart’s departure, Cole will continue to report directly to Donnie King, Tyson Foods president and CEO.
Furthermore, the supply chain, food safety, health and safety, as well as environmental, and transport functions will now report directly to King.
It marks the first time since 2021 that Tyson Foods has had a COO, with King having moved from the COO position to the CEO role back then.
Commenting on the changes, King said: “We have strong momentum as we head into our new fiscal year, and we remain committed to executing our long-term strategy and operating the company guided by our culture and core values. I am confident that under Devin’s leadership our business will continue to thrive.”
Tyson Foods stated it will provide further updates on its leadership and organisational changes before the start of its 2026 fiscal year on 28 September.
Last June, John R. Tyson, the company’s former CFO, left the business after being suspended for a driving while intoxicated offence.
Tyson, who initially pleaded not guilty, later admitted to the charge. Despite this, Tyson was appointed as a director of the company in May.
In its financial results for the third quarter ending 28 June, Tyson Foods reported sales of $13.88bn, reflecting a 4% increase compared to the same period the previous year.
However, operating income declined 23.8% to $260m, influenced by a goodwill impairment charge of $343m. Consequently, net income dropped sharply by 64.8% to $69m from $196m in the same quarter the previous year.
For the first nine months of 2025, Tyson Foods’ total sales reached $40.58bn, marking a 2.1% increase from the same period in 2024. Operating income rose by 6.3% to $940m and the net income saw a decrease of 2% to $449m.
