Cargill Inc. lured its former star lobbyist Devry Boughner Vorwerk back to lead the company's corporate affairs following a brief stint at a Washington law firm, the company said Thursday.
She returns at a pivotal time for international trade and for Minnetonka-based Cargill, which conducts business in 70 countries.
The fate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership — President Obama's signature trade deal in Asia-Pacific — is stalled amid the national election and efforts by large U.S. businesses to further lift trade restrictions on Cuba are facing opposition from GOP leadership in Congress.
"I am honored to rejoin Cargill at this important time in our company's history," Vorwerk said. "We have more than 150 years of experience in advancing food and agriculture development, and the successes of the past are strong indicators of our ability to lead in important areas going forward."
The company's focus on sustainability, nutrition and food security is what drew her back to Cargill, Vorwerk said.
Cargill is the largest private company in the U.S. with more than $120 billion in revenue last year.
Vorwerk also chairs the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC), a U.S. agribusiness group lobbying to end trade and travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba.
"Devry is a leader in global food, agriculture and nutrition, with a great mix of education in agriculture, work experience in government, leadership in nonprofits, and management experience at Cargill," said David MacLennan, Cargill's CEO.
