Mary Beth Laughton Joins Impossible Foods’ Board of Directors

Impossible Foods Inc. has announced that Mary Beth Laughton has joined the food tech startup’s board of directors.

 The retail industry veteran has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, innovation and sustainability for consumer brands and has served as a senior executive at multiple multinational companies. She is currently the President and CEO of Athleta, a premium fitness and lifestyle brand that creates versatile performance apparel to inspire active and confident women and girls. Athleta, a certified B Corporation, was acquired by Gap Inc. in 2008.

Previously, Laughton was Executive Vice President of Omni Retail for Sephora US. Before that, she spent nine years at Nike, where she held a variety of strategy, merchandising and e-commerce roles. Laughton also served as a board member of REI.

 “Few companies are pursuing as bold and ambitious of a vision as Impossible Foods,” said Laughton. “Like Athleta, the team at Impossible Foods is passionate about both innovation as well as creating a sustainable future. I’m thrilled to be part of an organization dedicated to combining profit and planet, and I look forward to helping them extend their impact even further.”

In addition to Laughton, Impossible Foods’ board members include:

• Pat Brown, Impossible Foods’ CEO, Founder and Chairman of the Board
• Fedele Bauccio, Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder of Bon Appétit Management Company
• Samir Kaul, founding general partner at Khosla Ventures
• John Marren, Senior Managing Director, North America, of Singapore-based global investment company Temasek
• Tal Ronnen, founder and chef of Los Angeles-based Crossroads Kitchen and author of the New York Times bestseller The Conscious Cook
• Bart Swanson, advisor at Horizons Ventures, the Hong Kong-based private investment fund of Mr. Li Ka-Shing
• Vanessa Wittman, Chief Financial Officer, Glossier