May 23, 2017 at 2:15 PM EDT

McCormick Appoints Tony Vernon to Board of Directors

SPARKS, Md., May 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE: MKC), a global leader in flavor, today announced that Tony Vernon, retired Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kraft Foods Group, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of McCormick effective May 23, 2017.

Mr. Vernon served as CEO of the Kraft Foods Group from 2012 to 2014 and remained with the company as a Senior Advisor and Executive Director until April 2015.  He was the first CEO of the newly formed company when Kraft Foods split its snack and grocery divisions into two independent public companies. Mr. Vernon also served as Executive Vice President of Kraft Foods and President of North America from 2009 to 2012.

Prior to joining Kraft, Mr. Vernon served as Healthcare Industry Partner of Ripplewood Holdings LLC, a private equity firm. He also held several leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson where he spent 23 years of his career managing some of the company's largest consumer brands including Tylenol, Motrin, Pepcid AC, Imodium and Splenda. Mr. Vernon also served as President of Centocor, Johnson & Johnson's biotechnology portfolio of operating companies.   

Lawrence Kurzius, Chairman, President and CEO of McCormick commented, "Mr. Vernon brings deep consumer products industry expertise to our Board.  He's successfully managed some of the most respected and iconic brands in the world and we look forward to his contributions to our long-term growth."

Mr. Vernon received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Lawrence University in 1980 and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1982.  He currently serves on the boards of Intersect ENT, Inc., Novocure Limited and Axovant Sciences, Inc.

About McCormick

McCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global leader in flavor.  With $4.4 billion in annual sales, the company manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the entire food industry – retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses.  Every day, no matter where or what you eat, you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick.  McCormick Brings the Joy of Flavor to Life™.

For more information, visit www.mccormickcorporation.com.

For information contact:

Corporate Communications
Lori Robinson (410) 527-6004 or lori_robinson@mccormick.com

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SOURCE McCormick & Company, Incorporated