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Executive Officers

The McCormick leaders who help set the table for our future success.

Lawrence Kurzius

Lawrence E. Kurzius

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Lawrence Kurzius is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McCormick & Company. Since joining McCormick in 2003, Mr. Kurzius has held many executive management roles, including: President – U.S. Consumer Foods; President – Europe, Middle East and Africa; President - International Businesses; President – Global Consumer and Chief Administrative Officer; and President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Kurzius was promoted to CEO in February 2016. He was also elected to the company’s Board of Directors in November 2015 and Chairman of the Board in 2016.

Mr. Kurzius joined McCormick through the acquisition of Zatarain’s, where he spent 12 years and was President and CEO. Prior to his work at Zatarain’s, he also served as a marketing executive with the Quaker Oats Company and Mars Inc.’s Uncle Ben’s Company.

Mr. Kurzius graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.

Mr. Kurzius serves on the boards of multiple industry and not-for-profit groups, including: The National Association of Manufacturers, Consumer Brands Association, Consumer Goods Forum, the Greater Baltimore Committee, and the National Sporting Library & Museum. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Elanco Animal Health, Inc. and a Business Round Table member.

Mike Smith

Mike Smith

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Mike Smith is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of McCormick & Company, Inc. In this role, he leads Controllership, Financial Accounting and Reporting, Tax, Treasury, Investor Relations, Financial Planning and Analysis, Global Business Improvement, Corporate Development, Risk and Internal Audit for the company. He is also a member of McCormick’s Management Committee and Investment Committee.

Mr. Smith joined McCormick in 1991 and assumed his current role in 2016. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President Corporate Finance, Senior Vice President Capital Markets & Chief Financial Officer for North America, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President Finance for EMEA, Vice President Treasury and Investor Relations, Vice President Finance and Administration for U.S. Consumer Products, Vice President Finance for the U.S. Industrial Group, Director of Corporate Accounting, Corporate Financial Planning Manager and Plant Controller for McCormick’s Hunt Valley, Md.-based manufacturing facility.

Prior to joining McCormick, Mr. Smith began his career in public accounting at Coopers and Lybrand.

Mr. Smith graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a BBA degree in Accountancy. He is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants.

He serves on the boards of several not-for-profit groups, including Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of MillerKnoll, Inc.

Sarah Piper

Sarah Piper

Chief Human Relations Officer

Sarah Piper is McCormick’s Chief Human Relations Officer. In her role, she is responsible for the development and execution of the Company’s global people strategy. Her responsibilities include talent management, learning, total rewards, diversity, equity and inclusion, employee engagement and wellbeing, and employee relations. She is a member of McCormick’s Management Committee.

Ms. Piper joined McCormick in 2008 as a Human Relations Manager and subsequently held the roles of Director, Human Relations, and Vice President, Human Relations for our Consumer Division. Between 2014 and 2017, Sarah gained external experience with H&R Block and Honeywell, returning to McCormick in 2017 as Vice President, Total Rewards. In 2020, she assumed the role of Vice President, Human Relations for the Americas. Prior to her appointment to CHRO, she served as Sr. Vice President, Global Human Relations Business Partners where she was responsible for leading the global HR Business Partner organization to deliver human capital strategies across the enterprise.

Ms. Piper held a variety of Human Resources roles at Pfizer Inc. and KPMG in the United States and Canada prior to joining McCormick.

Ms. Piper holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from York University, and a Master of Professional Studies in Human Resource Management from Cornell University. Ms. Piper is a Certified Human Resource Leader (CHRL) and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). Ms. Piper is also a member of McCormick’s Global Human Relations Senior Leadership Council as well as an Emeritus member of McCormick’s Global Multiple Management Board.

Malcolm Swift

Malcolm Swift

Executive Vice President

Malcolm Swift was recently named an Executive Vice President for McCormick & Company. The Company has announced his plan to retire at the end of fiscal year 2023. In his former role as McCormick’s President Global Flavor Solutions and Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Swift led the Global Flavor Solutions Strategy Council and had oversight of Global Functions including Communications, Marketing, Quality, IT, Research & Development, Business Transformation and Global Enablement. He also led McCormick’s Purpose-led-Performance Governing Council with oversight of the Company’s efforts to deliver top tier financial results while doing what’s right for People, Communities, and the Planet. Mr. Swift will continue to serve as a member of McCormick’s Management Committee until his retirement.

Mr. Swift has held other roles of increasing responsibility within McCormick, including Vice President Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Consumer, President EMEA, President Global Industrial (now Global Flavor Solutions) and International Business, and President Global Flavor Solutions, EMEA and Chief Administrative Officer.

Prior to joining McCormick in 2005, Mr. Swift held various leadership positions at companies across Europe, including Mars, Inc. in Senior UK Commercial roles; Diageo plc as Managing Director of the European Division of Guinness Brewing; Time Warner, Inc. as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the EMEA Consumer Products Division; and Hero AG as Chief Executive of the Baking Division, with responsibilities in Europe and North America.

Mr. Swift holds a First-Class Honors degree from Aberystwyth University. He serves as President of the Board of the European Brands Association (AIM); as Chairman of the Governors of Caldicott School and until its delisting was an Independent Director to the Board of Devro Plc.

Brendan Foley

Brendan Foley

President and Chief Operating Officer

Brendan Foley is McCormick’s President and Chief Operating Officer. In his role, he is responsible for all of McCormick’s business units and its supply chain worldwide. Mr. Foley oversees the business across the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and Asia. He has global leadership of the Consumer Segment and is a member of McCormick’s Management Committee.

Mr. Foley joined McCormick in June 2014 as President, U.S. Consumer Products Division and was promoted to President, North America in June 2015. He was named President - Global Consumer and Americas in June 2018, and to his previous role as President Global Consumer, Americas, and Asia in February 2020.

Prior to his tenure at McCormick, Mr. Foley served as Zone President for H.J. Heinz North America. During his 15 years at Heinz, he served as President for the U.S. Consumer Products business and the U.S. Foodservice business. He also held various leadership roles in Marketing and General Management across a wide portfolio of products. Prior to joining H.J. Heinz, Mr. Foley worked in Marketing for General Mills, Inc., and for Ketchum Advertising.

Mr. Foley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Miami University of Ohio. Mr. Foley has served on the Maryland Food Bank Board of Directors since 2016 and completed his role as Board Chair in 2021.

Jeffrey Schwartz

Jeffery Schwartz

Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Jeffery Schwartz is McCormick’s Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary. In his role, he has responsibility for the Company’s Legal function. Mr. Schwartz joined McCormick in 2008 as Associate Counsel, later became Associate General Counsel in 2011 until he assumed his present responsibilities in December 2014.

Prior to joining McCormick, Mr. Schwartz was in private practice at law firms in Washington, DC and Moscow, Russia.

Mr. Schwartz holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University, an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, and a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law at American University.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Anne Bramman

Anne Bramman

Anne Bramman is the Former Chief Financial Officer for Nordstrom, Inc. She has served as Director since 2020 and is a member of the Audit Committee*.

Michael Conway

Michael Conway

Michael Conway is the Group President, International and Channel Development of the Starbucks Corporation. He has served as a Director since 2015 and is a member of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee.

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III is the Former President of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He has served as a Director since 1997 and is a member of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee. 

Lawrence E. Kurzius

Lawrence E. Kurzius

Lawrence E. Kurzius is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McCormick and Company, Inc. He has served as a Director since 2015.

Patricia Little

Patricia Little

Patricia Little is the Former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Hershey Company. She has served as a Director since 2010 and is a member of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee. 

Michael Mangan

Michael D. Mangan

Michael D. Mangan is the Former President of Worldwide Power Tools and Accessories for The Black & Decker Corporation. He has served as a Lead Director since 2007 and is a member of the Compensation and Human Capital Committee and Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee.

Maritza G. Montiel

Maritza G. Montiel

Maritza G. Montiel is the Former Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman, Deloitte LLP. She has served as a Director since 2015 and is a member of the Audit Committee*. 

Margaret Preston

Margaret Mary V. Preston

Margaret Mary V. Preston is the Former Managing Director, Private Wealth Management for TD Bank. She has served as a Director since 2003 and is a member of the Compensation and Human Capital Committee. 

Gary M. Rodkin

Gary M. Rodkin

Gary M. Rodkin is the Former Chief Executive Officer, ConAgra Foods, Inc. He has served as a Director since 2017 and is a member of the Audit Committee*. 

Jacques Tapiero

Jacques Tapiero

Jacques Tapiero is the Former Senior Vice President and President, Emerging Markets for Eli Lilly and Company. He has served as a Director since 2012 and is a member of the Compensation and Human Capital Committee. 

W. Anthony Vernon

W. Anthony Vernon

W. Anthony Vernon is the Former Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. He has served as a Director since 2017 and is a member of the Compensation and Human Capital Committee.

*Audit Committee Financial Expert