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8 Impossible Foods execs have left this year as the company delays IPO under new CEO Peter McGuinness

Two hands hold a pack of Impossible Foods plant-based ground beef with a green-and-white label against a background of a grocery store cooler case
Impossible Foods has been pushing into grocery stores in recent years with products like plant-based grounds Impossible Foods

  • Impossible Foods has lost eight key executives, including its president and top marketer.
  • Chief Experience Officer Steve Turner quietly left in May, according to former employees. 
  • The talent exodus comes as Peter McGuinness settles in as Impossible's CEO.

Impossible Foods has lost several executives this year, including some after newly appointed CEO Peter McGuinness took over in April.

Among the senior leaders who have left is Steve Turner, who served as chief experience officer, referred to as the "CXO" within Impossible, for a year before his departure.

Turner left the company abruptly in May, according to two former employees. The employees requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from Impossible. Their identities are known to Insider.

"We came into work one day, and Steve's no longer here," one of the employees told Insider. "We weren't sure if this was just a long time coming or if this was something that was Peter's call."

Former Impossible Foods Chief Experience Officer Steve Turner poses for a photo while wearing a purple t-shirt
Former Impossible foods Chief Experience Officer Steve Turner Impossible Foods

Turner's profile page on Impossible's website still lists him as chief experience officer despite not being at the company for months. In his role, Turner oversaw "all aspects of marketing and the customer experience." 

The most recent departure from Impossible came last week when Impossible's president Dennis Woodside joined Freshworks as the software previdor's president. 

An Impossible spokesperson declined to comment on the reasons for the departures, but said that they were unrelated to each other. 

The company "has filled several of the positions and has plans to backfill the others, including a new marketing head to replace Steve Turner," the spokesperson said. 

Impossible "remains focused on innovation and execution to deliver the leading products in the category," the spokesperson added.

Nate Gorence, who formerly served as chief of staff to Impossible's CEO, has taken over as Impossible's acting chief marketing officer, a role that involves some of the same duties that Turner performed, according to a former employee.

Peter McGuinness
Peter McGuinness, Impossible Foods new CEO Impossible Foods

Vice presidents are also among the executives who have left Impossible

Several vice presidents have also left the plant-based meat maker in recent months.

Jim Laumann, vice president of global real estate and workplace, left in May. Meanwhile, Neha Singhania, vice president of strategic partnerships and Uday Idnani, vice president of sales and operations planning, both left in June.

Jennifer Hall, vice president of talent acquisition; Nikki Mostafavi, vice president of finance; and Tyler Jameson, vice president of government relations have also departed this year.

The departures come as McGuinness settles in as Impossible's chief executive. He took over the top job from Pat Brown, who founded the company in 2011 and served as CEO for 11 years.

Brown, a medical researcher by training, still works at Impossible as its chief visionary officer. In that role, he oversees the company's research and technology divisions, as well as efforts related to Impossible's mission to replace animal-based proteins.

McGuinness, who now runs Impossible, previously worked for nine years at Greek yogurt maker Chobani as the brand's chief marketing officer and later as president and chief operating officer. Before that, he worked at multiple advertising agencies.

Impossible remains a private company, unlike rival Beyond Meat. But Impossible has reportedly considered going public for years.

McGuinness told CNBC this spring that he saw "no rush or urgency to go public, not to say that we wouldn't decide to do that down the road."

Do you work at Impossible or have information to share? Reach out to Alex Bitter at  or via encrypted messaging app Signal at (808) 854-4501.

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