Laura Flanagan
Mission ProduceAbout Laura Flanagan
Independent Class III director at Mission Produce (NASDAQ: AVO) appointed June 30, 2025; term expires at the 2026 Annual Meeting. Former CEO of Ripple Foods (2019–Jan 2025) and Foster Farms (2016–2019). Education: MBA, Stanford GSB; BS Engineering, Case Western Reserve University; Kellogg “Accountability and Effectiveness in the Boardroom” certificate. No related-party transactions; standard director indemnification expected; compensated under AVO’s Non‑Employee Director Compensation Program .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripple Foods | Chief Executive Officer and Director | Oct 2019 – Jan 2025 | Drove revenue and profitability improvements; launched innovation platform |
| Foster Farms | Chief Executive Officer | Aug 2016 – Feb 2019 | Led meaningful growth and market share gains |
| ConAgra, PepsiCo, General Mills | Senior leadership roles | Various (prior to 2016) | Strategic growth, marketing, supply chain efficiency |
| Saturn Corporation | Engineer | Early career | Technical/operations grounding |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Tenure | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Food Group (NYSE: PFGC) | Director | Sep 2021 – present | Audit/Finance; Technology/Cybersecurity |
| TopGolf Callaway Brands (NYSE: MODG) | Director | Nov 2018 – May 2025 | Compensation Committee |
| Core‑Mark International | Director | Aug 2016 – Sep 2021 | Chair, Nominating & Governance; Compensation Committee |
Board Governance
- Status: Independent Class III director; Board size increased from nine to ten upon appointment .
- Committee assignments at AVO: Not yet disclosed as of appointment; AVO’s 2025 committee rosters are Audit (Lind, Beebe, Pack; Lind Chair), Compensation (Segre, Sarsam, Taylor; Segre Chair), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Beebe, Pack, Taylor; Beebe Chair) .
- Board practices: Independent Chair (Beebe); regular executive sessions; annual board/committee evaluations; strong governance guidelines and charters .
- Attendance: AVO Board held five meetings in FY2024; all directors met ≥75% attendance. Annual meeting attendance is expected absent extenuating circumstances .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board cash retainer | $60,000 per year | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Audit Committee member | $7,500 per year | Paid only if attending the meeting for the quarter |
| Compensation Committee member | $5,000 per year | Paid only if attending the meeting for the quarter |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance member | $5,000 per year | Paid only if attending the meeting for the quarter |
| Audit Committee Chair | $15,000 per year | In lieu of member retainer |
| Compensation Chair | $10,000 per year | In lieu of member retainer |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair | $10,000 per year | In lieu of member retainer |
- Deferred compensation: Directors may elect to defer up to 100% of annual equity awards (and Chairman grant if applicable); distributions per plan elections; plan is unfunded and subject to general creditor risk .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Value | Vesting | Change‑in‑Control Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial RSU grant (pro‑rated) | ~$100,000 | Vests in full at earlier of one year from grant or next annual meeting | Vests in full upon CIC |
| Annual RSU grant | ~$100,000 | Same as above | Vests in full upon CIC |
| Additional Chairman RSU grant | ~$40,000 | Applies only to Chair of Board | Vests in full upon CIC |
- No director stock options or PSUs disclosed; director equity is time‑based RSUs only .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Active: Performance Food Group (foodservice and convenience distribution) — committees include Audit/Finance and Technology/Cybersecurity .
- Prior: TopGolf Callaway, Core‑Mark — governance and compensation committee experience .
- Monitoring point: As AVO sells into foodservice channels, PFGC board service is an interlock to monitor for potential commercial overlap; AVO disclosed no related‑party transactions with Flanagan at appointment .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Strategic growth, consumer marketing, supply chain, and operations leadership across food and beverage .
- Governance skills: Audit/finance oversight, technology/cybersecurity, compensation, nominating/governance committee experience .
- Education: Stanford MBA; Case Western BS Engineering; Kellogg boardroom effectiveness credential .
Equity Ownership
- Director stock ownership guideline: 5× annual cash retainer ($300,000) to be achieved within five years of appointment; counts time‑vested RSUs and deferred equity; compliance assessed annually at FY‑end using average closing price over prior year .
- Beneficial ownership at appointment: Not disclosed; RSUs under policy vest as above .
- Hedging/pledging: AVO prohibits short sales and hedging by directors under Insider Trading Policy .
Governance Assessment
- Positives: Independent appointment; robust multi‑company board experience (audit, compensation, governance); no related‑party transactions at appointment; alignment via RSU grants and stringent director ownership guidelines; strong board‑level governance framework with independent Chair .
- Risks/Red Flags: None disclosed specific to Flanagan. Interlock to monitor with PFGC given potential channel overlap; committee assignment/attendance data will be determinative once disclosed .
- Shareholder sentiment context: Say‑on‑pay support 97.34% in 2024; 90.6% in 2023, indicating constructive investor posture toward AVO’s compensation governance .
Engagement priorities for investors: Clarify committee assignment(s) and 2025–2026 attendance; confirm any PFGC‑related business dealings (none disclosed at appointment); track director equity accumulation toward the $300k guideline and any deferral elections .