Hormel Foods Corporation has appointed Ash Bhumbla as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective 8 September, as the global branded food company continues its efforts to modernise its business and position itself for long-term growth.
Bhumbla succeeds Paul Kuehneman, who has served as interim chief financial officer since October 2025. Kuehneman will work with Bhumbla to support a smooth transition and remain a senior leader within Hormel Foods’ finance organisation.
In his new role, Bhumbla will lead Hormel Foods’ finance function and join the company’s senior leadership team. His responsibilities will include guiding financial strategy, capital allocation and the company’s long-term growth objectives.
John Ghingo, president of Hormel Foods, said: “Ash is a highly accomplished finance executive with a proven record of driving performance, leading transformation and creating long-term shareholder value. His broad experience across finance, operations and strategy, coupled with his expertise across consumer-focused, value-added protein businesses, gives him a unique perspective on our business and the opportunities ahead.”
Bhumbla joins Hormel Foods from Tyson Foods, where he served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for the company’s Chicken segment. In 2025, he also concurrently served as CFO of Tyson’s International segment.
During his time at Tyson, Bhumbla played a leadership role in initiatives focused on operational transformation, finance modernisation, strategic planning and business performance improvement.
His previous experience includes senior finance and corporate development positions at Perdue Farms and International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), following an early career in strategy consulting with Marakon Associates.
Bhumbla holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar.
The appointment brings an executive with experience across value-added protein and broader food and ingredients businesses into Hormel Foods’ senior leadership team. The company, whose portfolio includes brands such as SPAM, Planters, Skippy, Applegate, Columbus and Jennie-O, generates more than $12 billion in annual revenue.
Hormel Foods also highlighted the continued role of Kuehneman, a long-serving company executive who joined the business in 1993.
Over more than three decades with Hormel Foods, Kuehneman has held accounting and controller roles across the company’s manufacturing facilities and headquarters. He became director of internal audit in 2009 and was appointed vice president and CFO of Jennie-O Turkey Store in 2016.
He was subsequently named assistant controller in November 2020 and controller in January 2022 before taking on the interim CFO position in October 2025.
“Paul has been an exceptional steward of our business and a trusted advisor to our leadership team,” Ghingo said. “His deep knowledge of Hormel Foods, financial expertise and commitment to our people have been invaluable.”
Kuehneman will continue to contribute to Hormel Foods’ finance organisation following the transition.
Source: foodbev.com
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