August 7/Downers Grove, Ill./Press Release -- The Hillshire Brands Co. has announced that Sean Reid will become chief customer officer, effective August 20, 2012. Reid will lead the external selling organization and build sustainable strategic relationships and strategies across all consumer-facing channels including Wal-Mart, Kroger, Costco and development networks. He will report to Sean Connolly, CEO.

"Sean is a strong addition to the Hillshire Brands' team, bringing extensive leadership experience and a proven track record of achieving solid results by partnering with customers and developing strong organizations," said Connolly. "His deep understanding of the food industry and key customer needs combined with his ability to lead successful teams will help drive our business."

Most recently, Reid was senior vice president of U.S. and international sales at Schwan Food Co. and directed the company's worldwide consumer brand sales organization, with responsibility for account management across all channels, broker management, category management, trade marketing, sales finance, operations, customer service and retail management.

Reid also worked at Kraft Foods Inc. where he served as vice president of U.S. retail sales and led a national team of more than 11,000 employees. His responsibilities included delivering sales through in-store and retail execution tactics, which ranged from category management to go-to-market resets. Prior to his work at Kraft, Reid held a variety of sales and management positions at Nabisco Biscuits & Snacks.