While not directly related to beer itself, this bit of news will be of interest to those following the business side of the industry, and particularly the business of hops.

Yakima Chief Hops expanded its Board of Directors recently with the addition of Megan Belcher, the Chief Legal & External Affairs Officer and Corporate Secretary for agribusiness company Scoular; her addition brings valuable experience to the role, particularly in Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance.

Press release:

Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), the largest grower-owned hop supplier for the global brewing industry, has announced the addition of Megan Belcher as an independent member of YCH’s Board of Directors.

Operating for more than 30 years, Yakima Chief Hops has been referred to as a disrupter in the industry, not only for its innovative products and research, but for being at the forefront of environmental, social and sustainability initiatives. As a grower-owned organization, YCH has remained rooted in its mission to connect family farms with brewers across the globe despite its incredible growth.

The Yakima Chief Hops Board of Directors sought to appoint a new outside board member with a strong background in Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) to continue building upon its efforts to be socially responsible employer, supplier and community member.

Megan Belcher brings with her more than 15 years of executive leadership and board experience as a strategic business advisor, nuanced risk leader, and multi-corporate function expert in the global agriculture, foods, ingredients, commodities and consumer packaged goods spaces.

“We are pleased to welcome Megan as our newest outside Board member,” said Michael Smith, chairman of YCH’s Board of Directors. “She offers years of experience working with a family-owned global organization in agribusiness.”

Ms. Belcher currently serves as the Chief Legal & External Affairs Officer and Corporate Secretary for Scoular, a privately held $6 billion agribusiness company that buys, sells, stores, handles, and processes grain and ingredients. Sharing interests with YCH, Scoular provides solutions to farmers, processors and manufacturers to continuously enhance the supply chain.

In her role, Ms. Belcher leads Scoular’s world-wide Legal team, as well as its Brand Marketing, Corporate Communications, External and Community Affairs, and Sustainability and ESG teams. Her expertise also includes leadership in ethics and compliance programs, labor and compensation, crisis navigation and community engagement. Among a robust list of accolades, she was named the 2021 ESG & Diversity Trailblazer by Diligent, the 2021 Tribute to Women Award by the Women’s Center for Advancement, and the 2019 Outstanding Contributor to Women in the Law Award by the Nebraska State Bar.

“Yakima Chief Hops has an impressive and growing portfolio of hops products, having built a reputation over many decades as a high integrity and innovative leader in the agricultural and brewing industries because of the impressive work of its grower-owners,” said Megan Belcher. “I look forward to serving on YCH’s board and bringing my expertise and passion for growth to the company’s ongoing success.”

Ms. Belcher joins three other outside members of the YCH Board of Directors including Janine Terrano who has expertise in technology and global systems, Bill Hanneman of Zachary Scott who has expertise in finance, and Tim Fallon who has expertise in sales and operations.