Tom Bené

Tom Bené is a consumer and distribution industry executive with over 30 years of experience. Mr. Bené spent 7 years at Sysco, the world’s largest foodservice distributor, where he served as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer from 2018 to 2020, and where he had previously served as Chief Operating Officer, President of Foodservice Operations, and Chief Commercial Officer from 2013 through 2017. Before Sysco, Mr. Bené had a 23-year career with PepsiCo, from 1989-2013, rising up through the ranks initially with Pepsi-Cola in roles such as Market Unit General Manager, Senior Vice President of Sales & Franchise Development, President of Pepsi-Cola North America, and later with PepsiCo as President of PepsiCo’s Foodservice Division. Mr. Bené currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association, a position he has held since June of 2020, the Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing the nation’s restaurant and foodservice industry. Additionally, Mr. Bené is the past Chair of the American Beverage Association and has served on the Executive Committee of the Women’s Foodservice Forum. Mr. Bené holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas.