R Donald Thomson
CEO
The son of founder Henry P. Thomson, R. Donald Thomson graduated from Princeton University in 1943 on a three-year program in order to serve in the Army. After the war, he worked in the tea division of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. Mr. Thomson then joined his father in the family business and, in 1955, took over as President. He assumed the position of Chairman in 1995, at which time he turned over the day-to-day operations to Eugene Amici, his son-in-law.
Mr. Thomson was integral in the U.S. industry as consumer trends shifted, moving focus from the traditional sources of tea such as Sri Lanka and India to Argentina and China. He also served many years on the Board of Directors for the Tea Association of the USA, Inc.