Kincannon & Reed

About Us

Food and agriculture: industries as unique as the people who lead them. And no one knows them like we do. We’re Kincannon & Reed, a global executive search firm exclusively serving organizations within the food and agriculture industries.

Our approach is different
With 40 years of experience across diverse international sectors, we know the caliber of leaders needed to shape a promising future for the food and agriculture industries.

We’ve sat in your chair.
Empty seats at your leadership table or ineffective executives hurt profits, morale, and market share. Our principals are well-networked, former industry executives who understand your priorities and the talent you seek. We advise you as a colleague or peer, rather than an outsider. Learn who we are.

Knowing your next leader is our job.
We are a team of search professionals serving clients focused on feeding the world and keeping it healthy. We leverage our deep industry knowledge, data, and connections to identify and place leaders with the right experiences, values, and cultural fit. Learn who we serve.

Providing search expertise and more
Our search professionals partner with you throughout the process. We ask questions, listen for understanding, and assess candidates from the informed perspective of former executives. We have a genuine interest in your organization’s next leader. Learn what we do.

Kincannon & Reed

Our Team

Kelly Griffin

Vice President, Search Delivery

Ed Yuhas

Managing Director

Gary Weihs

Managing Partner

Jon Leafstedt

Managing Partner

Michael Whitney

Managing Partner

Phillip Osborne

Managing Partner

Cassie Edgar

Managing Director

Carolyn Schubert

Managing Director

Paul Izenstark

Managing Director

Paul Miller

Managing Director

Sally Day

Managing Director

Caroline Petit

Senior Associate

Warren Ward

Managing Director

Crystal Strauss

Director

Melissa Karman

Senior Associate

Pat Rojas

Senior Associate

Whitney Dooley

Senior Associate

Aaron Locker

Managing Director

Oliver Cassels

Associate Managing Director | Europe

Aidan Connolly

Managing Director

Christophe Dumont

Managing Director

Patrick Fitzgerald

Managing Director

Heiri Gugger, PhD

Managing Director

Lisa Johnson

Managing Director

Jon Lowe

Managing Director

Abby McMillin

Managing Director

Gabriella Snoeck

Director

Attila von Hankó

Director & Associate Partner

Emily Wagner

Senior Associate | Des Moines, IA

John Wright

Managing Director

You’re looking for an impact player. Start by meeting ours.
We are a team of search professionals who know the value of qualified leadership, diversity, and the important role we play in the future of the food and agriculture industries – our reputation proves it.

Kincannon & Reed

Solutions And Expertise

Serving Clients who Feed the World and Keep it Healthy

Kincannon & Reed is a global leadership advisory firm exclusively serving the food and agriculture industries. We partner with organizations across the value chain to identify, recruit, assess, develop, and retain the leaders who drive performance and long-term success.

Executive Search & Leadership Solutions

Through our retained executive search practice and K&R EDGE leadership solutions, we support clients across the full leadership lifecycle—including leadership assessment, executive coaching, performance management, and succession planning. From CEOs and board directors to commercial, operations, research, and functional leaders, we deliver tailored search and advisory services grounded in deep sector expertise and a global network built over four decades.

Kincannon & Reed

News Briefings

Kincannon & Reed Expands Search Staff

Executive recruitment firm Kincannon & Reed has expanded with the addition of veteran food value chain executive Jared Spader as managing director. “We were thrilled when Jared indicated he was interested in working for Kincannon & Reed,” said David Turner, president of the firm. “His service industry experience, combined with his passion for people will be a strong asset

Kincannon & Reed Recruits COO for MyLand

Executive recruitment firm Kincannon & Reed has assisted in the placement of Sascha Welz as the new chief operating officer of MyLand, a soil health company. “Sascha is a trusted leader who consistently delivers results,” said Dane Hague, co-founder and president of MyLand. “He embodies our mission, culture and passion for impact. Sascha is a team builder.”

Kincannon & Reed Appoints Director of Data and Analytics

Executive recruitment firm Kincannon & Reed has expanded with the addition of John Grisolano as director of data and analytics. “Our database of executives is critical for our ability to place leaders who feed the world and keep it healthy,” said David Turner, president of Kincannon & Reed. “Having someone like John leading our data strategy is key

Mastering the Online Interview

Global executive search firm Kincannon & Reed has been working remotely for more than 35 years facilitating video interviews long before it became a necessity. The firm recently shared with Hunt Scanlon Media some best practices to help clients and candidates prepare to engage remotely, present their best, and ultimately determine if this is someone you

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Kincannon & Reed

Press Releases

K&R partners with Caviness on CFO search

(July 11, 2023) Caviness Beef Packers recently welcomed Doug Green to their ranks as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer. Family owned and operated for more than 60 years, Caviness has three locations across the United States. Processing over 4,500 head per day, the growing company employs more than 2,100 and manages several beef product brands. Some of

K&R Places VP of Operations with Plant-Based Pharmaceutical Company

(April 2023) Biopharmaceutical Research Company (BRC) welcomed Lucas Zumstein as the organization’s new Vice President of Operations this week. Bringing over a decade of operations experience with him, Zumstein has spent the majority of his operations career in active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Previously he held roles with organizations such as Abzena,

K&R places Sustainability head at National Pork Board

(April 2023) Industry veteran Jamie Burr recently joined the National Pork Board as the organization’s new Chief Sustainability Officer. Burr’s background in the industry started in his youth, being born and raised on a hog farm. He spent the past two decades with Tyson foods in progressively senior roles, such as Director of Sustainability Implementation

K&R places CEO/Executive Director at Food Export Associations

(January 13, 2023) Earlier this week, Brendan Wilson assumed his new role as Executive Director & CEO of both Food Export – Midwest and Food Export – Northeast. In his new role with the non-profits, Wilson is responsible for the overall management of the combined organizations. He is tasked with developing strategic programming as well

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