Meet Our Executive Team

Michael J. Mendes has served as Diamond’s President and Chief Executive Officer since 1997. Mendes joined the company in 1991 and served as Vice President of International Sales and Marketing prior to being promoted to his current position in 1997. Mendes served as Manager of International Marketing of the Dole Food Company from 1989 to 1991. He holds an M.B.A from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. Mendes served as Chairman of the President’s Advisory Council of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and currently serves on the GMA Board of Directors. He has served on the board of directors of the California Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the advisory board for The Wine Group.

Lloyd J. Johnson has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer since September 2008. From July 2005 until August 2008, Mr. Johnson was a Senior Vice President for Expedia Inc., during which time he managed various divisions within the Partner Services Group. Prior to joining Expedia, Mr. Johnson was employed at Kraft Foods, Inc., where he was Vice President, Sales and Customer Development, Kraft Canada from January 2005 to June 2005, and Customer Vice President, Kroger, from June 2001 to December 2004. Earlier in his career, Mr. Johnson held a variety of sales and sales management positions of increasing responsibility at Nabisco Biscuit Company and Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery. Mr. Johnson holds a B.A. from Eastern Washington University.

Linda B. Segre has served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy since August 2009. From September 2006 until April 2009, she was a Managing Director at Google.org, the corporate philanthropy organization of Google Inc., where she oversaw the climate change and global development initiatives and managed all operational aspects of the organization. From May 1995 until September 2006, Ms. Segre was Vice President, Officer and Director at The Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, and served as the Managing Director of the San Francisco office from February 2001 until September 2005. She first joined The Boston Consulting Group in 1987 and worked in a number of roles with increasing responsibilities until she became a Vice President in May 1995. During her tenure at Boston Consulting group, she focused on serving clients in the consumer goods and financial services sectors. From 1981 until 1985, Ms. Segre was a touring golf professional in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Ms. Segre holds a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Steven M. Neil was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for Diamond Foods, Inc. on March 1, 2008. Neil has a 25-year background in international finance and operational management leadership, as well as broad experience in developing and implementing growth initiatives for global organizations.

Prior to joining Diamond Foods, Neil worked at The Cooper Companies, Inc., an international leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of contact lenses and women’s healthcare products, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, responsible for not only the global finance organization but also for information technology and global supply chain and manufacturing, comprising over 5,500 employees ultimately reporting into him. Neil was employed by Cooper from January 2005 to March 2008, and from July 2003 to January 2005 he was employed at Ocular Sciences, Inc. as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary, which was acquired by Cooper in January 2005.

Neil holds an M.B.A. degree from UCLA, a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UCSB and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California.

Andrew Burke joined Diamond in 2006 as Vice President of Marketing. Previously, he was Vice President of Marketing at Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery. Prior to Gallo, he spent seven years at Kraft Foods, Inc. where he focused on brand and product development. Prior to Kraft, Burke was an Account Supervisor for Young & Rubicam. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and an M.B.A. from Fordham University.

Stephen Kim has been Diamond’s Vice President, General Counsel since May 2005. Previously, he served as General Counsel for Oblix, Inc. for five years until its acquisition by Oracle, and was an associate with Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati and Weil Gotshal & Manges for a combined five years. Kim earned an undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. from New York University.