CHICAGO — Archer Daniels Midland Co. announced it has created a new board committee on sustainability and corporate responsibility. The new committee formally will launch in May and will be chaired by Suzan F. Harrison.

The new committee will set strategic objectives, goals and strategies for the company’s sustainability and corporate citizenship efforts, ADM said.

Ms. Harrison joined ADM’s board of directors in May 2017 and has been a member of the board’s compensation/succession committee. She has held a variety of leadership positions at Colgate-Palmolive Co., where she currently is president of global oral care. Earlier, she was president of Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. North America. Before that, she was vice-president of marketing for Colgate U.S. and vice-president and general manager of Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, North America and Europe.

Suzan Harrison, chair of ADM's new board committee on sustainability and corporate responsibility

“Our extensive social and environmental goals are integral to our overall business goals, and thus deserving of the highest level of guidance and leadership from our board,” said Juan Luciano, chairman and chief executive officer of ADM. “Our board’s expertise and commitment to our corporate citizenship values will ensure that they remain prioritized at the center of our strategy.”

ADM also announced the nomination of Lei Zhang Schlitz, Ph.D., to stand for election at the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting set for May 1.

Dr. Schlitz has held a series of senior-level positions for Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), a Fortune 200 manufacturing company with operations in 55 countries, approximately 48,000 employees, and more than 18,000 current and pending patents. Currently, she is executive vice-president of ITW’s Food Equipment segment, a $2.2 billion business that designs and manufactures commercial ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, food processing equipment, and after-sales services for commercial food service and food retail customers around the globe.

Daniel Shih, who has served as an ADM director since 2012, has informed the board that he will not seek re-election at the annual stockholders’ meeting.

“Lei Schlitz’s tremendous knowledge, experience and leadership at a global manufacturing company will make her a strong addition to our board,” Mr. Luciano said. “Lei offers significant expertise in technology innovation, financial discipline, strategy development, and manufacturing excellence — all key elements as we continue to advance our strategy and growth efforts around the globe. On behalf of the board and our entire company, I’d like to thank Daniel for his service to ADM. We are a better company today thanks to his leadership.”