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Cal-Maine Foods has announced the appointment of Keira Lombardo as the company’s first-ever chief strategy officer, effective yesterday (11 August 2025).

In a statement, the US egg producer said the appointment underscores its commitment to delivering long-term value through ‘operational excellence, innovation and deeper stakeholder engagement’.

Lombardo will work with the senior leadership team to accelerate and shape enterprise priorities. She brings over two decades of experience leading transformation and growth across complex, multi-stakeholder food and agriculture systems.

Most recently, Lombardo served as chief executive officer of Dairy Max, a large-scale dairy organisation representing approximately 700 farm families across eight states. Under her leadership, Dairy Max implemented an ROI-focused operating model and aligned its structure, talent and strategic focus.

Before joining Dairy Max, she was a senior executive at Smithfield Foods, where she led functions across corporate affairs, people and culture, and stakeholder strategy.

Lombardo’s responsibilities at Cal-Maine Foods will include partnering on enterprise strategy, stakeholder engagement, corporate affairs, public relations and digital integration.

Sherman Miller, president and CEO of Cal-Maine Foods, said: “Keira brings a rare combination of strategic discipline, stakeholder fluency and food system insight to Cal-Maine Foods”.

“Her leadership will support our ability to continue to execute our long-term strategy and leverage our disciplined capital allocation into meaningful stakeholder returns – partnering with the team to unlock new growth opportunities, navigate complexity and strengthen our performance in a dynamic environment.”

Commenting on her appointment, Lombardo said: “Cal-Maine Foods leads with scale and operational strength – and continues to evolve through innovation, discipline and strategic focus. I look forward to collaborating with the leadership team to build on that momentum and help drive long-term value across the business.”