Impossible Foods Adds Leilani Gayles and David Borecky

Since early 2020, Impossible Foods has pressed into Canada, watched its retail stores grow 150-fold, and launched its Impossible Sausage Made From Plants in 15,000 Starbucks shops. The company predicts rapid growth—either due to rising meat costs or more conscious consumers—and is now enhancing its leadership team with CPO Leilani Gayles and CFO David Borecky. Says Impossible Foods’ CEO and Founder Dr. Patrick O. Brown: ‘Leilani and David are extraordinary leaders—and share our vision of transforming the global food system’. 

Who Are They? 

Leilani Gayles, Chief People Officer. Gayles has built a career on acquiring talent, championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), creating sustainable rewards and compensation, and making companies a great place in which to work. Before joining Impossible Foods, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at the San Francisco Giants—in true Cali spirit. 

Throughout her career, however, Gayles has worked for large tech companies and high-growth startups. Part of why she joined Impossible Foods, in fact, is because she admires that the company isn’t afraid to take big risks to innovate. ‘Because of that [mindset]’, she says, ‘I look forward to [shaping] how our people work, live, and develop in their careers’. 

David Borecky, Chief Financial Officer. Formerly Impossible Foods’ Chief Accounting Officer, Borecky has stepped up to help meet demand for plant-based products. ‘[Achieving that] while continuing to invest in R&D and technology is what will fuel our long-term growth’, he explains. To pull this off, he’ll draw upon his prior work as a Stripe controller and Square leader in corporate finance. ‘As CFO’, he adds, ‘my goal is to build an efficient, data-driven, and scalable finance operation. And one that will deliver on the promise of our mission for consumers, investors, and the planet’.

What’s the Impact? 

Together, Gayles and Borecky will shape the future of Impossible Foods. If everything goes according to plan, they’ll help the organisation build resilient human and finance systems, increase its influence across the world, and provide an alternative to the food systems currently wreaking havoc on our planet. 

Bring on the Impossible Sausage.