Richmond, Virginia, United States, November 2025 — Tatiana Godoi has joined Universal Corporation as the new Chief Human Resources Officer. In this strategic global role, she will lead Universal’s talent agenda, strengthen organizational capability, and champion a culture rooted in collaboration, integrity, and growth. Her appointment marks an important milestone as the company continues its evolution as a diversified, global agriproducts organization supporting both tobacco and plant-based ingredient segments.
Before joining Universal Corporation, Tatiana Godoi served at Kerry for more than five years, most recently as Vice-President of Human Resources North America, where she led people strategy, workforce planning, capability development, and transformation initiatives across the region. Prior to that, she served as Vice-President of Human Resources LATAM, strengthening talent pipelines, advancing leadership development programs, and supporting organizational growth in multiple countries across Latin America.
Before Kerry, Tatiana spent more than six years at Mars, most recently as Global Senior HR Director – Corporate. In this capacity, she worked across geographies to align people strategy with global business goals and supported senior leadership teams in organizational design, capability building, and cultural development. Earlier at Mars, she served as P&O Director Pet Nutrition Brazil, where she drove talent development initiatives, organizational effectiveness, and commercial capability acceleration across the business.
Earlier in her career, Tatiana gained extensive HR leadership experience across major industrial and consumer organizations, including Villares Metals, Newell Brands, Laticínios Bom Gosto S.A., and STIHL Group, where she partnered closely with business leaders to shape talent strategies, improve operational HR models, and strengthen workplace culture. She began her HR career at Termolar and spent more than two decades growing into executive-level leadership roles across Brazil and international markets. Her strong educational credentials include advanced development from Hult Ashridge Executive Education and the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management Post-MBA program.
About Universal Corporation
Universal Corporation, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is the world’s leading global leaf tobacco supplier and a diversified agriproducts business with more than a century of legacy. Established in 1918, Universal’s core operations include sourcing and processing flue-cured, burley, and dark air-cured leaf tobacco for leading global manufacturers. Over the years, the company has expanded its portfolio through strategic acquisitions to build a strong plant-based ingredients division, supporting food, beverage, botanical extracts, and pet nutrition markets.
Universal operates in more than 30 countries across five continents and employs over 25,000 permanent and seasonal workers globally. With revenue reported at approximately $2.6 billion as of March 2023, the organization continues to build its future around responsible sourcing, supply chain transparency, and innovation across both tobacco and emerging plant-based ingredient categories.
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