UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): | September 9, 2011 |
Sara Lee Corporation
__________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Maryland | 1-3344 | 36-2089049 |
_____________________ (State or other jurisdiction |
_____________ (Commission |
______________ (I.R.S. Employer |
of incorporation) | File Number) | Identification No.) |
3500 Lacey Road, Downers Grove, Illinois | 60515 | |
_________________________________ (Address of principal executive offices) |
___________ (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: | (630) 598-6000 |
Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On September 12, 2011, Sara Lee Corporation announced that Christopher J. Fraleigh, an Executive Vice President of Sara Lee and Chief Executive Officer, North America, resigned from the company on September 9, 2011 to pursue other opportunities. The company has commenced a search for Mr. Fraleigh's successor. In the interim, Sara Lee's Chief Executive Officer, Marcel Smits, will also assume responsibilities for leading the North American business, and Fraleigh will be available to Smits during this transition.
A copy of the press release announcing these changes is attached as Exhibit 99 to this report.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Sara Lee Corporation | ||||
September 12, 2011 | By: |
Helen N. Kaminski
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Name: Helen N. Kaminski | ||||
Title: Assistant General Counsel, Corporate & Securities |
Exhibit Index
Exhibit No. | Description | |
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99
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Press release dated September 12, 2011 |
Sara Lee Corporation
3500 Lacey Road
Downers Grove, IL 60515
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media (North America): Jon Harris, +1.630.598.8661
Analysts: Melissa Napier, +1.630.598.8739
SARA LEE CORP. ANNOUNCES CJ FRALEIGH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
NORTH AMERICA, HAS RESIGNED FROM THE COMPANY
Commences CEO Search for North American Meats Business; Current Sara Lee Corp.
CEO Marcel Smits Will Lead the North American Business
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (Sept. 12, 2011) Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE) today announced that CJ Fraleigh, chief executive officer of North America, has resigned from the company to pursue other opportunities. The company has commenced a search for Fraleighs successor, with the objective of making an appointment as soon as possible. In the interim, Sara Lee Corp. Chief Executive Officer Marcel Smits will also assume responsibilities for leading the North American business, and Fraleigh will be available to Smits during this transition.
CJ played an important role in taking the North American business to this stage in its development, said Jan Bennink, executive chairman of the board of Sara Lee Corp. We now believe that a different approach is needed to transition the North American business into a pure-play company.
On behalf of the board, we thank CJ for his contributions, added Bennink. Under his leadership, the North American business significantly improved its profitability, increased its rate of innovation and streamlined operations. He contributed to the development of what we believe is a solid strategy for the future and we wish him well in his future endeavors.
We have a talented, experienced and highly capable North American senior team, and I look forward to working with them to drive the business forward during this transition, said Smits.
Smits joined Sara Lee as chief financial officer in October 2009 and was appointed chief executive officer in January 2011.
In January, the company announced its intention to split into two separate publicly-held companies CoffeeCo (International Coffee & Tea) and MeatCo (North American Meats). Last week, the company appointed Michiel Herkemij as chief executive officer of CoffeeCo. The company remains on track to execute the spin-off in the first half of calendar 2012.
About Sara Lee Corporation
Each and every day, Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) delights millions of consumers and customers around the
world. The company has one of the worlds best-loved and leading portfolios with its innovative and
trusted food and beverage brands, including Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean,
Sara Lee and Senseo. Collectively, our brands generate nearly $9 billion in annual net sales from
continuing operations. Sara Lee has approximately 20,000 employees in its continuing operations
worldwide. In January, 2011, Sara Lee Corp. announced that it will divide the company into two
pure-play publicly-traded companies. One company will be focused around the current International
Coffee and Tea business, while the other company will be focused on the North American Retail Meats
and North American Foodservice businesses. For more information on this news, and on Sara Lees
brands, please visit www.saralee.com.
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