Flowers Foods’ board of directors elected Allen L. Shiver president and CEO, effective May 22, 2013, the date of the company’s annual shareholders meeting. Shiver has 33 years of service with the Thomasville, Ga.-based company and currently serves as president. George E. Deese, current chairman of the board and CEO, was elected executive chairman of the board, effective the same date.
“This is a time of exciting opportunities for Flowers Foods, and the board and I are confident in Allen’s continued leadership as our team integrates recent acquisitions and focuses on growing sales and earnings,” says Deese. “My role as executive chairman is to ensure that our strategic direction is sound and that Flowers’ culture—what defines our team as unique in our industry—remains strong so we can continue to build value for our shareholders.”