Devin Cole has taken on the additional title of president of Tyson Foods’ international business, replacing Amy Tu, who is retiring. Cole maintains his title as head of Tyson’s Global McDonald’s business.
This is his second stint at Tyson. Cole just returned to the company in March after having worked there for 20 years until leaving in 2014. He went on to become president of Keystone Foods for six months until becoming chief operating officer of George’s Inc., another poultry company, for seven years.
His appointment was announced in the company’s third quarter earnings call with analysts, at which time President/CEO Donnie King celebrated the company’s financial turnaround. In its past fiscal year (ending Oct. 2, 2023) Tyson’s sales slipped by $401 million, to $52.881 billion, and the company had a $649 million loss. But through three quarters of 2024, sales were up half a percent and, more importantly, operating income, which was a scant $68 million for nine months of 2023, hit $884 million.
Chicken, which was one of the drags on financials last year, “had one of its best quarters in some time,” King said. “We are clearly benefiting from better market conditions including lower grain costs, our actions and focus on the fundamentals across all aspects of the value chain.”
