Twirling Fire

Today, Denise Morrison takes over as the first female CEO of the 140-year-old Campbell Soup Company. With annual revenue of $8 billion, products sold in 120 countries and a roster of 18,000 employees, Morrison, who has been the company’s chief operating officer, makes history at one of the largest food companies in the world.

She’s got her work cut out for her at the iconic brand: the Wall Street Journal reports sales at the company “have declined in eight of the last 10 quarters.” The 56-year-old has been in the food industry for decades, working at companies including Kraft Foods, Nestle USA and Nabisco.

But in achieving what she’s called her ultimate career goal, she realizes that this is only the beginning. She spoke with PINK in an exclusive interview:

PINK: What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
DM: I was a fire-twirler in high school. As a majorette, I got to twirl fire at all of Long Branch High School’s football games. I have the photos to prove it!

PINK: What is one personal goal you haven’t achieved?
DM: For the longest time, my personal goal was to be a CEO. Once it was announced that I would become CEO at Campbell, I realized that becoming CEO was only the beginning of the race. My personal goal is to make Campbell the most extraordinary food company in the world.

PINK: What do you intend to do differently as CEO?

DM: One of my plans is to accelerate information. Recently, we created an innovation team in our Campbell North America business. This team is responsible for driving breakthrough innovations across our soup, sauces and beverage business. We have several exciting innovations in the pipeline right now, and we are launching our V8 energy shots.

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Bonus PINK Link: Morrison doesn’t believe in Life/Work balance. Here’s why.

By Caroline Cox

“Pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so
well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” Maya Angelou