The Women in Agribusiness' Demeter Award of Excellence is given in four categories, including Female Executive of the Year, which honors the achievements of executives and entrepreneurs who have significantly furthered the mission of women in agribusiness. This is the inaugural year of the award.

"In her career at Land O'Lakes, and particularly as an officer and member of our senior strategy team, Carol has had a significant impact on both our business and our culture of mentoring," said Chris Policinski, president and chief executive officer at Land O'Lakes. "She translates her innovative approach to driving our global business into supporting her colleagues and developing future leaders. Carol is a strong advocate for women in leadership roles in food and agribusiness, and she fosters a deep commitment to collaboration and growth. We are very pleased to see her contributions recognized by others in the industry."

Kitchen has served in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility at Land O'Lakes and has more than 20 years of cooperative experience. In January 2012, she joined Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods division to lead the company's Global Dairy Ingredients business. Previously, Kitchen served as leader of Corporate Strategy, Business Development and International; vice president, International; and controller and director of Strategy and International Development.

"It is an honor to be the inaugural recipient of this award," said Kitchen. "Diversity of opinion matters -- and the different perspective women bring to business challenges can strengthen our businesses overall. We need to engage women -- and men -- at all levels to ensure women are supported, mentored and encouraged to achieve senior level leadership roles throughout the food and agriculture industry."