HOUSTON, March 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) announced today that Tom Bené will join the company, effective April 15, in the newly created role of executive vice president and chief merchandising officer.
"As we proceed with strengthening our executive leadership team, optimizing our supply chain and effectively implementing our category management initiatives, we are very pleased to welcome Tom Bené to Sysco," said Bill DeLaney, Sysco president and chief executive officer. "Tom's breadth of experience and expertise in merchandising, marketing, sales and operations will significantly enhance Sysco's capabilities to strengthen our relationships with customers and suppliers and drive profitable growth and free cash flow for our shareholders."
In addition to overseeing merchandising, Bené also will have direct responsibility for supply chain and quality assurance activities, while working closely with senior leaders on Sysco's sales, marketing and operations teams. Bill Day, executive vice president for Merchandising at Sysco, will continue to lead the company's enterprise-wide merchandising efforts, including the category management initiative, and will report to Bené.
Prior to joining Sysco, Bené was president of PepsiCo Foodservice, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in merchandising, sales, operations, franchise development and general management over a 23-year span.
About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. The company operates 177 distribution facilities serving approximately 400,000 customers. For Fiscal Year 2012 that ended June 30, 2012, the company generated record sales of more than $42 billion. For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoCorporation or Twitter at www.twitter.com/Sysco_Corp. For investor news, follow the company at www.twitter.com/SyscoStock or download the Sysco IR app, available from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Market.