BrandWikiReturn

Mark Clouse

Mark Alan Clouse (born c. 1968) is an American businessman who is the president of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He attended the United States Military Academy (USMA) from 1986 to 1990, playing two seasons of college basketball as a guard for the Army Black Knights before becoming a helicopter pilot and reaching the rank of captain before retiring from service in 1996.

Clouse joined the marketing department of Kraft Foods upon leaving the military, later working as an executive at Mondelez International prior to serving as CEO of Pinnacle Foods in the late 2010s and the Campbell Soup Company in the early 2020s. He retired from the food industry in 2025 and became the team president of the Commanders. Clouse has also been a board member of Brown-Forman since 2022.

Early life and military career

Clouse was born c. 1968 in Cincinnati, Ohio,[1] later graduating from Northwest High School in 1986.[2] He attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, playing two seasons as a guard and captain for the Army Black Knights basketball team until a case of frostbite while stationed in Alaska affected his athleticism.[1][2] Clouse graduated with Bachelor of Science degree in economics in 1990.[2] He served as a helicopter pilot in the United States Army for six and a half years, rising to the rank of captain before retiring in 1996.[2]

Business career

Food industry (1996–2024)

Clouse joined the marketing department of Kraft Foods in 1996.[2] He was president of Kraft Foods Greater China from 2006 to 2008.[2][3][4] He was managing director of Kraft Foods Brazil from 2008 to 2010.[2][4][5] He was appointed senior vice president of the Biscuits Global Category in 2010 and promoted to president of Kraft's Snacks and Confectionery division the following year.[6] Kraft Foods split into two companies, an international snack food company and a North American grocery company, Mondelez International, with Clouse named its executive vice president.[7][8] He was appointed to Chief Growth Officer in July 2014.[3] In January 2016, he was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer, with oversight of the execution of the company's commercial growth plan globally.[9] Clouse was hired as CEO of Pinnacle Foods in May 2016.[10] He steered the company to being acquired by Conagra in October 2018 for US$8.1billion and stepped down after Pinnacle ceased being publicly traded.[11][12] In January 2019, Clouse was appointed as president and CEO of Campbell's.[13][14][15]

Washington Commanders (2025–present)

Clouse announced his retirement from Campbell's in December 2024 to be president of the Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL). His term began in February 2025, with him managing the franchise's business operations.[1][16]

Personal life

Clouse met his wife Kathy McLeod, a former teacher, while stationed at Fort Irwin in Barstow, California; the couple married in 1995 and have two sons.[2][17] He joined the board of directors of Brown-Forman in November 2022.[18] As Commanders president, Clouse spoke at an event hosted by Lawrence Di Rita at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. in May 2025.[19]

External links

References

  1. Whyno Stephen. Commanders hire Campbell’s CEO Mark Clouse as their new team president Associated Press, December 4, 2024, retrieved May 25, 2025^
  2. John Feinstein. Mission First: Filling His Role goarmywestpoint.com, Army Black Knights, retrieved March 21, 2025^
  3. Lewis Lazare. Mondelez names chief growth officer Chicago Business Journal, August 1, 2014, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  4. Normandy Madden. Kraft Gives Brands a Twist So They'll Have More Appeal in China Ad Age, August 27, 2007, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  5. Irene Rosenfeld. Inside the Kraft Foods Transformation Strategy+Business, August 27, 2009, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  6. Stuart Elliott. Food Brands Get Sociable on Facebook and Twitter The New York Times, June 30, 2017, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  7. James O'Toole. Kraft to rename snack unit 'Mondelez' CNN, March 21, 2012, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  8. Hannah Hammond. Mondelez Reinventing Supply Chain CSP Daily News, February 19, 2014, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  9. Tess Stynes. Mondelez Profit Soars on Gain, Management Shift Unveiled The Wall Street Journal, October 28, 2015, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  10. Joshua Jamerson. Pinnacle Foods Taps Mondelez’s Clouse as CEO The Wall Street Journal, April 27, 2016, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  11. Conagra to buy Pinnacle Foods for $8.1 billion Reuters, June 27, 2018, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  12. Pinnacle Foods Shareholders Vote To Approve Acquisition By Conagra Brands conagrabrands.com, October 23, 2018, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  13. Svea Herbst-Bayliss Richa Naidu. Campbell Soup names industry veteran Mark Clouse as new CEO Reuters, December 20, 2018, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  14. Annie Gasparro. Campbell Names Mark Clouse New CEO December 20, 2018, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  15. Sarah Halzack. Campbell’s New CEO Brings the Right Ingredients Bloomberg News, December 21, 2018, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  16. The Campbell’s Company Board of Directors Elects Mick Beekhuizen Chief Executive Officer to Succeed Mark Clouse Business Wire, December 3, 2024, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  17. Mark Clouse. Applying lessons learned as a helicopter pilot and Army Captain to the food business thecampbellscompany.com, November 11, 2020, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  18. Brown–Forman Increases Cash Dividend for 39th Consecutive Year; Elects Mark Clouse and Elizabeth Smith to Board of Directors brown-forman.com, November 17, 2022, retrieved June 25, 2025^
  19. Mark Segraves. ‘Able to host everything': Commanders president touts stadium to business leaders NBC Washington, May 19, 2025, retrieved May 20, 2025^