HOUSTON, Nov. 18, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) has named Jackie M. Ward as its non-executive chairman of the Sysco Board of Directors, succeeding Manny Fernandez, who retired from the board on Nov. 15, 2013. Mr. Fernandez had served on Sysco's board since November 2006.
Ms. Ward, a Sysco director since September 2001, will be the seventh chairman in Sysco's 44-year history. She was the board's lead director, chaired the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, and served on the Compensation Committee and the Executive Committee.
"I am looking forward to continuing to work with Sysco, including partnering with president and chief executive officer Bill DeLaney and his highly experienced senior leadership team," said Ms. Ward. "Sysco has a long history of operational success, financial strength and industry leadership, and we hope to build upon that foundation to further enhance our position."
Ms. Ward is the former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Computer Generation Incorporated (CGI). She currently is a director on the boards of Flower Foods, Inc. and Sanmina-SCI Corporation. Previously, she was a director of Bank of America Corporation, Equifax Inc. and WellPoint, Inc.
About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. The company operates 193 distribution facilities serving approximately 425,000 customers. For Fiscal Year 2013 that ended June 29, 2013, the company generated sales of more than $44 billion. For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoCorporation or Twitter at www.twitter.com/Sysco. For important news regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section at www.sysco.com/investors, or follow at www.twitter.com/SyscoStock and download the new Sysco IR App, available on the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Market. In addition, investors should also continue to review our press releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information.