Chad Wiegand, Executive Vice President & CRO of Schreiber Foods

Chad Wiegand didn’t follow a corporate blueprint. He built a leadership model designed for complexity.

From pharmacy school to law, from boardroom legal counsel to global strategy, Chad built his career by stepping into uncertainty—and bringing clarity.

Today, he’s EVP and Chief Risk Officer at Schreiber Foods, an $8 billion, employee-owned food giant. He oversees everything from legal and audit to food safety, regulatory, compliance, and culture.

But Chad will tell you: his impact isn’t about saying no. It’s about helping leaders make better decisions in the gray.

In this episode of Real Leadership, Chad shares the pivotal moments that shaped his philosophy—from learning how to lead through risk to discovering why vulnerability might be a leader’s sharpest edge.

In this episode, we cover:

🔥 The “Red Team / Green Team” structure that takes ego out of strategy 🔥 The surprising KPI that actually matters for legal leaders 🔥 How vulnerability can build more trust than confidence ever could 🔥 Why in-house legal teams must stop being seen as a cost center 🔥 What it really looks like to lead through chaos—with clarity

Time Stamps

 

05:47 - Attributes of a Great In-House Legal Program

12:05 - Negotiation Styles in Legal Interactions

18:02 - Chad's Evolution at Schreiber Foods

25:14 - Risk Management and Decision Making

30:37 - Nose In, Hands Out Leadership

35:43 - The Impact of ESOP on Culture

42:10 - The Power of Vulnerability

Show Notes

 

• Chad’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadwiegand/ 
• Schreiber Foods: schreiberfoods.com/ 
• Schreiber Foods’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/schreiber-foods/ 
• Jim’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jim-weaver-36457418
• Real Leadership Podcast: realleadership.oningroup.com 
• Real Leadership LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/104897916/
• The Ōnin Group: oningroup.com/clients