Driscoll's CEO Soren Bjorn to step down, Brie Reiter Smith named as successor.

Driscoll’s CEO Soren Bjorn will step down after more than two years in the role, the global berry company announced in an Aug. 25 press release. Brie Reiter Smith, vice chair of the company’s board of directors, will succeed Bjorn as CEO.

The leadership change comes as the company has faced mounting scrutiny over strawberry safety, prompting online debates and protests in front of Driscoll’s headquarters in June.  

“The team Soren has assembled is the best we've had, which is a real testament to his leadership and vision. The berries we put on tables around the world are the same berries I feed my three young daughters every day,” Smith said in the press release. “I am honored to continue the tradition of positively impacting lives by operating with trustworthiness, passion and humility.”

A Denmark native, Bjorn joined Driscoll’s in 2006 and was named CEO in 2023. He contributed "immeasurably to the growth and success of Driscoll’s over that period of time," according to the press release. Before becoming CEO, he served as the company’s first senior vice president of international business, and led Driscoll’s global research and breeding programs.

Smith, who is assuming her new duties immediately, is the granddaughter of the company’s original co-founder Joe Reiter. Smith has held a variety of positions including growing blueberries in Chile and overseeing quality and product leadership in the Americas, as well as serving as a director and vice chair of the Driscoll’s board.

“Soren’s intelligence, strength of character and commitment to Driscoll’s mission to ‘continually delight berry consumers through alignment with our customers and our berry growers’ have been a hallmark of his leadership throughout the various positions he has held,” Driscoll’s Executive Chair Miles Reiter said in the press release. “We have had a lot of fun and been through plenty of challenges together.”