Pilgrim's Pride Corporation has announced that Jerry D. Wilson has been named executive vice president of sales and marketing, subject to approval of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. He will join the company immediately on an interim basis.

Mr Wilson brings 29 years of poultry industry experience to his new role. He previously served nine years as vice president of sales and marketing for Keystone Farms LLC, a privately owned poultry producer based in Huntsville, Alabama. Prior to that, he spent seven years as vice president of sales and marketing with Seaboard Farms, Inc., a poultry producer based in Athens, Georgia. He also has held operations, quality assurance and management positions with Simmons Foods and Sanderson Farms.

"Jerry is a proven leader with considerable experience in building a customer-focused culture," said Don Jackson, president and chief executive officer. "As Pilgrim's Pride moves toward a market-driven business model, Jerry will play an integral role in making sure that we capitalize on our growth opportunities and exceed our customers' expectations."

As previously announced, the Company filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions on 1 December 2008. The Chapter 11 cases are being jointly administered under case number 08-45664. The Company's operations in Mexico and certain operations in the United States were not included in the filing and continue to operate as usual outside of the Chapter 11 process.