Jim Hield was named head of Cargill Marketing Services in March 2000.  He provides marketing and communication services to the company and business units, supervising a department that provides a range of services to the company.  These include brand management, corporate advertising, identity and trademark management, market research, marketing strategy and analysis, marketing communications and other customer-focused communication initiatives.

Hield joined Cargill in 1977 as a grain merchant in Peoria and Chicago IL , and in 1981 he joined the Public Affairs Department in Minneapolis , coordinating a corporate advertising and communications program.  He was named assistant vice president of public affairs in October 1991, and vice president in January 1999, making him responsible for managing corporate community relations and grant making programs, as well as providing support services to senior and division management.  Hield served as executive director of the Cargill Foundation and secretary of the Cargill Contributions Committee while also providing assistance in program planning, implementation and evaluation to the company’s worldwide network of more than a thousand locations in 65 countries.

Hield currently serves on the board of the WEM Foundation and is a coach and manager for youth sports teams in Edina, MN.

Hield received a B.A. in economics from Williams College in 1977.

Hield joined the Institute for Research in Marketing's Advisory Board in September 2005.