Colleen Batcheler

As senior vice president, external affairs & general counsel at Hormel Foods, Colleen Batcheler oversees the company’s global legal and external affairs function, including corporate governance and securities, M&A, intellectual property, litigation, labor and employment, and legislative and regulatory affairs.

Hormel Foods is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters^®, Skippy^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin’s^®, Columbus^®, WHOLLY^® Guacamole, Hormel^® Black Label^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America’s most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World’s Best Companies, received a perfect score of 100 on the 2023–24 Corporate Equality Index and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts.

Batcheler is an experienced public company general counsel and has a strong corporate securities and governance background. Prior to joining Hormel Foods, she served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for Hertz, one of the largest global vehicle rental companies. During her tenure, her responsibilities included leadership of legal, compliance and government affairs.

Before joining Hertz, Batcheler served as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Conagra Brands, Inc., one of North America’s leading branded food companies. During her 16-year tenure with the organization, she helped lead the company’s transformation from an international food conglomerate with a heavy focus on commodity businesses into a North America-focused pure play branded food company. Before joining Conagra, Batcheler held legal roles with Albertson’s, Inc. and The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She began her legal career with global law firm Jones Day.

Batcheler earned her J.D. from Case Western Reserve School of Law, and a B.A. in political science from the State University of New York College at Fredonia. She serves as an independent director of Hyster-Yale, Inc. and is member of that board’s Audit and Nominating & Governance Committees. Batcheler also serves as a Trustee of Case Western Reserve University.