Lori Marco

As senior vice president of external affairs and general counsel for Hormel Foods, Lori Marco leads all legal functions of Hormel Foods Corporation including the law department, legislative affairs, corporate brand design services, records and information management, and regulatory affairs, labeling and formulation. As the chief legal officer, Marco is also responsible for managing risk and overseeing all corporate transactions, litigation and corporate governance and securities.

Hormel Foods is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenues across 75 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 on the “Global 2000 World’s Best Employers” list by Forbes magazine for three straight years, is one of Fortune magazine’s most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” list for the 12 years, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts.

Prior to joining Hormel Foods, Marco practiced at a private law firm in Minneapolis, where she concentrated on intellectual property litigation. She started her career at Hormel Foods in 2004 as a corporate attorney and was named senior attorney in 2007. In 2011, Marco was named vice president of external affairs and general counsel and was promoted to senior vice president in 2015.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from the University of Minnesota-Morris, and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Marco is also a graduate of the Minnesota Executive Program at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and the Leadership in Corporate Counsel Program at Harvard Law School. She is also a registered patent attorney.

In addition to her professional involvement, Marco is involved in numerous professional and nonprofit organizations. She serves on the board of the Austin Public Education Foundation, is a Board Trustee for the Minnesota Zoo Foundation and is a Mensa member.