Campbell’s CEO Quitting To Become President of Football’s Washington Commanders
We don’t get to report this every day: Campbell’s Co.’s CEO Mark Clouse is departing the company to become president of the Washington Commanders football team. Mick Beekhuizen, president of the company’s Meals & Beverages business unit, will succeed him. Both moves are effective Feb. 1, 2025.
Clouse has been president/CEO of Campbell Soup Co. – the name was changed to The Campbell’s Company just last month -- since January 2019, leaving those same titles at Pinnacle Foods. He succeeded interim chief Keith McLoughlin, who took over after Denise Morrison, was forced out in May of 2018.
At the time, Campbell had endured years of underperformance. Clouse undertook a transformation, selling off some underperforming assets, including Bolthouse Farms, Plum Organics baby foods, Emerald nuts and Garden Fresh Gourmet, and recommitted to soup as a key element of the company’s growth strategy. He previously held executive positions at Mondelez and Kraft Heinz.
Beekhuizen will become the 15th CEO in Campbell’s 155-year history. He too joined the company in 2019 as chief financial officer and since 2022 has been president of the $5.3 billion Meals & Beverages division.
The company announcement said Beekhuizen played a key role in the $2.7 billion acquisition and integration of Sovos Brands, which last year brought the company Rao’s pasta sauces. Prior to Campbell’s, Beekhuizen was executive vice president and CFO at Chobani (2016 to 2019) and earlier was and a managing director at Goldman Sachs in the merchant banking division.
Clouse’s departure was termed a retirement. “While I am stepping away a bit earlier than I anticipated, I feel like I have one more act in my career,” he said. “The Washington Commanders role is a once-in-a-lifetime position that blends my passion for business and love of sports. A leadership role in professional sports is the only thing that would’ve pulled me away from Campbell’s.”
Clouse graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was a member of the basketball team. He spent six-and-a-half years in the United States Army as a helicopter pilot and had risen to the rank of captain by the end of his service.
At the Washington Commanders (formerly the Redskins) Clouse replaces Jason Wright, who will be leaving the organization after the season. Wright was hired as team president in August 2020 amid issues plaguing that organization. He stepped down as team president in July and became a senior adviser.
