Tyson Foods heir, who was once found sleeping in stranger’s bed, is out of a job
Tyson Foods heir John Randal Tyson will not be returning to his job as chief financial officer of the company founded by his great-grandfather.
Tyson Foods heir John Randal Tyson will not be returning to his job as chief financial officer of the company founded by his great-grandfather. According to a report in Fortune magazine, Tyson Foods on Thursday announced that Curt Calaway will take over the role of CFO permanently.
The announcement comes after incidents of erratic behaviour on John Randal Tyson’s part after joining the company as chief sustainability officer. The 34-year-old scion of Tyson Foods was arrested in 2022 after he was caught sleeping in a stranger’s bed. The arrest occurred just six weeks after he was appointed CFO of the $21 billion firm.
Tyson, then 32, pleaded guilty to charges of public intoxication and criminal trespass. He paid a fine and apologised to Tyson Foods employees in an email - but that was not his last brush with the law.
Driving under influence
In mid-June this year, John Randal Tyson was arrested for driving while intoxicated. According to the Fortune report, the police officer who pulled up Tyson said he felt “a strong odour of intoxicants” coming from inside the car and noticed that Tyson’s eyes were red and watery. The Tyson Foods heir told the police officer that he had been celebrating with friends and family ahead of his sister’s wedding.
This second incident of intoxication led to Tyson’s suspension from the Fortune 500 company founded by his great-grandfather, John W Tyson, in 1935.
Curt Calaway was appointed interim CFO after Tyson’s suspension in mid-June. It has now been announced that Calaway, a finance veteran with 18 years of experience, will take over the role of chief financial officer permanently.
John Randal Tyson, however, will remain an employee of the company and is currently on health-related leave. His father, John H. Tyson, serves as chairman of the company. The younger Tyson’s erratic behaviour has thrown the family’s succession plan into disarray, reports suggest.