About
Mr. Chris Lischewski
A visionary intrapreneurial leader with over 35 years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry, known for driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and innovation. Expertise includes leading transformative M&A activities, optimizing business operations, and improving top-line revenue and profitability. Skilled in collaborating with cross-functional teams to implement growth strategies focused on profit, market expansion, and customer satisfaction. Recognized for orchestrating business turnarounds, scaling operations, and aligning corporate functions while fostering a high-performance culture. A champion of employee engagement and ESG initiatives with experience presenting to investors, boards, and executive leadership.
Strategic Intrapreneur ➡ F&B Industry | M&As | Business Transformation | Profit Optimization | P&L Management | Investor Relations Management | ESG Initiatives
With over 35 years of experience in the Food and beverage industry, I have developed a strong track record leading strategic Mergers and Acquisitions, formulating business development plans, and streamlining operations to positively impact both top-line and bottom-line performance. My career has been built on driving innovation and operational excellence to achieve sustainable growth.
Throughout my career, I have held roles ranging from grassroots to global strategic positions, leading significant business transformations and scaling operations to optimize efficiency. In my current role at Golding Farm Foods, I restructured the sales and broker network to focus on strategically aligned channels, customers, and products resulting in a 30% revenue increase in just 18 months. I also enhanced gross margins by improving manufacturing efficiencies, including a 70% reduction in downtime, a 30% increase in RTFT, and a 20% increase in line speeds. These initiatives were supported by enhanced sales/production and planning/inventory management processes that increased customer service levels to over 99% while reducing inventory losses by two-thirds. The performance improvement has helped reignite a winning culture throughout the organization.
My greatest success was turning Bumble Bee Seafoods from a bankrupt entity in 1997 into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. During my 20-year tenure as President and CEO, I successfully navigated six major M&As and was repeatedly chosen to continue as President and CEO, further steering the company’s growth trajectory.
One of my proudest accomplishments was founding the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, a model for sustainably managing globally shared natural resources. I also advised government agencies on seafood sustainability and traceability. I served as a trusted advisor to the U.S. Trade Representative and was a member of the United Nations Blue Ribbon Panel on seafood sustainability. My collaborative efforts with Google on blockchain technology and electronic monitoring in fisheries demonstrate my commitment to driving innovation in sustainability.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Influential Leadership | Mergers & Acquisitions (M&As) | Business/Financial Acumen | P&L Management | Strategic Business Turnaround & Growth | Innovation & Cultural Change | Investor Relations’ Management | Budgeting & Forecasting | Competency Management | Stakeholder Engagement | Negotiation & Contract Management | Business Continuity | Strategic Consultancy | Process Improvement | Risk Mitigation | Resource Optimization | Revenue & Profit Maximization | Market Penetration/Expansion
BOARD MEMBERSHIPS & NOTABLE CHAIR APPOINTMENTS | INDUSTRY FORUMS & INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES
American Seafoods | Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego | Blue Harvest Seafoods | Bumble Bee Seafoods | Global Consumer Goods Forum | Golding Farms Foods | Grocery Manufacturers Association | National Fisheries Institute | Oceans Caucus Foundation | U.S. Trade and Environmental Policy Advisory Committee
EDUCATION | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Master of Business Administration – International Finance, 1986 | Bachelor of Science – Finance & Accounting, 1982
