MBA Fellow worked on building out enterprise sustainability communications strategy at Hormel Foods

During the summer of 2026, Derek Saul (MBA '27) interned as an NYU Stern MBA Sustainability Fellow at Hormel. Read on to learn more about his time there:

Name: Derek Saul

Grad Year: 2027

Specialization: Strategy, Marketing, Entertainment and Media

This summer, I had the opportunity to serve as an MBA Sustainability Fellow at Hormel Foods, working within the company’s Corporate Communications team on its sustainability strategy and communications. My primary project focused on helping advance Hormel’s Good Feeds Us All sustainability platform. I conducted competitive benchmarking across more than 20 food and CPG companies, analyzed consumer research, and interviewed internal stakeholders to understand how Hormel could differentiate its approach. I then synthesized those insights into recommendations for the company’s sustainability positioning, messaging, governance, and five-year roadmap, ultimately presenting the work to senior leadership. 

One of the most valuable parts of the experience was seeing firsthand how sustainability priorities become business strategy. A major challenge for companies today is moving beyond broad sustainability commitments toward initiatives that are credible, differentiated, and connected to the business. My project gave me the opportunity to explore that challenge from inside a large food company and see how communications, strategy, and sustainability intersect. 

The experience will add value to my remaining time at Stern by giving me a practical perspective to complement what I have learned in the classroom. I was able to take concepts around sustainable business and strategy and apply them to a real organizational challenge, while also learning how to build alignment among stakeholders and communicate recommendations to senior leaders. 

While the fellowship deepened my interest in sustainability, it also reinforced my broader interest in strategy and problem-solving, giving me a valuable perspective on what it takes to tackle complex strategic questions from within an organization. Most importantly, it showed me that sustainability is increasingly not a standalone corporate responsibility function, but an important consideration in how companies build brands, manage risk, and create long-term value.