Firestone, Colo., January 15, 2015 – The National Honey Board (NHB), an industry-funded agriculture promotion group, announced that the Board has unanimously selected Margaret Lombard as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective December 29, 2014. Lombard succeeds the NHB’s past CEO Bruce Boynton who announced his desire to retire in early 2014 after almost 26 years of service to the honey industry.
“After a thorough selection process, the Board is delighted to announce Margaret will lead the NHB as we navigate through the evolving and expanding landscape of the honey industry,” said Brent Barkman, chairman of the National Honey Board. “Margaret has extensive experience in food marketing and a comprehensive understanding of the food industry. I have no doubt that she is the right person to take the helm at the NHB.”
In her nearly 25 years in the food industry, Margaret has held a variety of leadership positions, including Vice President of Marketing for Raley’s Supermarkets and Vice President of Shopper Marketing for a national advertising agency. She has a proven track record for successfully driving innovation and growth. Her past clients include Mission Foods, Blue Diamond Almonds and Avocados from Mexico. Margaret holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Design from the University of California Davis, and a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University Sacramento. Her background in food and her commodity board experience make her ideally suited to lead the next phase of the NHB’s growth and success.
“I am honored to have been chosen by the Board to lead the NHB into the next exciting era,” said Margaret Lombard. “The NHB is doing some amazing work and is perfectly poised for growth as the trend towards natural ingredients continues to explode. I look forward to working with our Board and our staff in driving growth for the entire industry.”
The National Honey Board is an industry-funded agriculture promotion group that works to educate consumers about the benefits and uses for honey and honey products through research, marketing and promotional programs.