Michael Whitney

Managing PartnerEurope
Areas of Expertise

Food & Beverage, Global Agribusiness

About

As a consultant to Kincannon & Reed since 2012, Michael is an executive coach and search professional. He brings more than 25 years industry experience as a senior executive working for well-known global beverage, consumer goods, and agribusiness companies, that include Allied Domecq, RB, and Bunge. Michael began his career in commercial roles before promotion into progressively senior General Management positions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His executive experience extends across marketing, sales, operations, finance, and supply chain, and includes M&A, organisational strategy, and business transformation.

He has also held a number of Non-Executive Directorships on the Boards of Private Equity portfolio companies. As a search professional, he has led multiple C-suite and senior executive engagements for multi-nationals and earlier stage companies across the food and agribusiness value chain.

Michael graduated from The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served as an infantry officer in the British Army for more than 10 years before moving into industry. He holds a Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching from Henley Business School in the UK and is studying to become an accredited coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Recent Placements & Food for Thought

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K&R places CFO & CHRO at Riceland Foods

Leading farmer-owned rice and soybean cooperative Riceland Foods recently welcomed two new executives to the growing organization: Craig Parr as Chief…

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The Leadership Multiplier: Building a High Performing Talent Engine in Startups

Contributing Principals: Michael Whitney & Christophe Dumont Behance Co-Founder Scott Belsky once said “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas…

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Operations leader for Malteurop placed by K&R

Malteurop North America (Malteurop) recently welcomed Joel Grosser to their organization as the Senior Director of Operations. A subsidiary of Malteurop…

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Dairy industry sees opportunity within global challenge

By Gary Weihs and Ed Yuhas While attending the recent joint annual American Dairy Products Institute / American Butter Institute (ADPI/ABI)…

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FarmHouse Fraternity CEO placed by K&R

Earlier this week, FarmHouse Fraternity announced the appointment of the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer Dave Hansen. With a rich history…

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K&R places VP of Operations with plant-based pharmaceutical company

Biopharmaceutical Research Company (BRC) welcomed Lucas Zumstein as the organization’s new Vice President of Operations this week. Bringing over a decade…

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Co-op CEO placed by K&R

Nebraska’s Hi-Line Cooperative appointed Matt Hasenauer as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer earlier this week. Responsible for the continued growth…

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K&R places Sustainability head at National Pork Board

Industry veteran Jamie Burr recently joined the National Pork Board as the organization’s new Chief Sustainability Officer. Burr’s background in the…

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Ag Workforce Shortages & Shortcomings: AgTech’s Opportunity or Obstacle?

During last week’s World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit, Kincannon & Reed hosted a breakout panel centered on the talent deficit in agriculture…

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Top Ag Cooperative CEO placed by K&R

Southwestern Illinois cooperative Top Ag announced Jeff Hendricks as the organization’s new CEO this week. Hendricks joins the team at Top…

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Attraction, Transition key themes at Animal AgTech

K&R Principals Jared Spader and Aidan Connolly hosted a roundtable discussion focused on the talent deficit in food and ag during…

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First Quarter Talent Trends and Implications

THE TALENT MARKETPLACE TODAY It’s no secret that the talent landscape has evolved significantly over the past five years. Those successfully…

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Industry Experts Making Connections

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