JBT Corporation has announced the death of its former chairman, president and CEO, Tom Giacomini, who passed away on 12 October aged 55.
Giacomini served in his role at JBT for the past seven years. Prior to this, he held a number of roles at Dover Corporation – including CEO of Dover Engineered Systems – and also served as COO at Warn Industries.
The US food processing machinery company announced in June that Giacomini would take a personal leave of absence due to medical reasons, unrelated to Covid-19. Executive vice-president and CFO of JBT, Brian Deck, was appointed interim president and CEO.
While in early September, JBT announced that Giacomini would return to his role as CEO, ten days later the company announced that he would be unable to return and has stepped down to focus on his health and recovery. Giacomini also resigned from the board of directors.
At the time, JBT announced that Deck would resume his role as interim president and CEO and that the board had initiated a search to identify a permanent CEO.
Alan Feldman, non-executive chairman at JBT, described Tom Giacomini as “an exceptionally talented leader, a devoted father to his son and a good friend”.
He added: “Tom leaves behind an extraordinary legacy, establishing a culture of continuous improvement and building strong, value-creating customer relationships elevating JBT’s stature in the food industry. On behalf of the board of directors, JBT’s executive leadership team and all JBT employees, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to Tom’s family.”
In response to Giacomini’s passing, Brian Deck, interim president and CEO, said: “Tom was a charismatic and transformational leader with a passion for our business. He cared deeply about JBT and its employees and created opportunities for many.
“He was a mentor and friend to so many within JBT, including myself, and we will miss his energy and leadership. On behalf of all my colleagues, it was a privilege to have worked with Tom, and we are grateful for the impact he had on all of us.”
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