Kraft Heinz Co., a multinational food giant, has appointed Angel Shelton Willis as its new global general counsel and corporate affairs officer, starting from November 18. Shelton Willis has been serving as the general counsel for Sealed Air Corp., a packaging company, for the past six years. She will replace Rashida La Lande, the former legal chief of Kraft Heinz, who recently moved to become the top legal officer at Estée Lauder Cos.
According to Kraft Heinz’s announcement on Thursday, Shelton Willis will bring “strategic vision” to her role, reporting to the company’s CEO, Carlos Abrams-Rivera. She will relocate to the company’s Chicago office. Shelton Willis expressed her excitement about joining Kraft Heinz at such a crucial time for the company and the industry, but did not provide any further comment.
Kraft Heinz is currently facing significant challenges related to climate change, as heat waves are affecting the crops used to produce its key products, such as Heinz ketchup. The company owns several well-known brands, including Maxwell House coffee, Grey Poupon mustard, Oscar Mayer cold cuts, and Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
Shelton Willis was not among the seven highest-paid executives at Sealed Air in 2023, according to the company’s most recent proxy statement. Her predecessor at Kraft Heinz, La Lande, received nearly $5.2 million in total compensation that year.
Both La Lande and Shelton Willis are members of the Black General Counsel Initiative, which aims to increase the number of Black legal chiefs at Fortune 1000 companies. Shelton Willis, who has been an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the legal industry and broader corporate world, joined Sealed Air in 2019.
After La Lande’s departure two months ago, Kraft appointed Prasanth “Prash” Akkapeddi as its interim global general counsel. Heidi Miller, a deputy general counsel for corporate governance and securities at Kraft Heinz, serves as the company’s corporate secretary.
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