Mercy For Animals names new president to drive global impact

Tech executive Arash Yomtobian joins CEO Leah Garcés in bringing Mercy For Animals into its next chapter of growth and innovation to end factory farming

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercy For Animals, a leading international nonprofit dedicated to ending industrial animal agriculture, announced the appointment of Arash Yomtobian as its new president. Yomtobian will serve as an operational co-pilot to CEO Leah Garcés, strengthening the infrastructure that powers Mercy For Animals' mission, optimizing systems and scaling teams across six countries to achieve its global ambitions.

By naming Yomtobian as president, Mercy For Animals pairs its strategic commitment with operational excellence to advance its vision and maximize impact for farmed animals worldwide. Yomtobian brings more than two decades of leadership experience from Fortune Global 500 companies, including senior roles at Google, Meta and TikTok, where he built scalable systems and led high-performing global teams.

"I'm thrilled that Mercy For Animals has attracted someone of Arash's caliber to help us achieve the goals of our ambitious new strategic plan," said Leah Garcés, CEO of Mercy For Animals. "With his years of building teams at major tech companies, combined with his deep personal commitment to ending factory farming, Arash is uniquely positioned to enable optimal growth and progress. Partnering with him to lead Mercy For Animals will help transform the organization and take our impact to the next level."

Yomtobian is a vegan of nine years and a longtime advocate for animal compassion, reinforcing Mercy For Animals' commitment to values-driven leadership at every level of the organization.

"The way we treat our planet and all its inhabitants is one of the greatest moral and evolutionary tests of our time, and right now, the stakes could not be higher," said Arash Yomtobian, president of Mercy For Animals. "Factory farming inflicts immense suffering, fuels environmental breakdown, and threatens the health and well-being of people and the planet alike. Transforming this system isn't optional; it's essential for a just and livable future."

Read Yomtobian's full statement here.

Under this strengthened leadership structure, Mercy For Animals will continue advancing its core initiatives, including corporate animal welfare reforms, plant-based food initiatives and high-impact investigations that expose factory-farm cruelty. Garcés, as CEO, leads the organization's strategic vision, mission and priorities. Yomtobian, as president, expands leadership capacity by focusing on operational excellence across global work. Together, they will work in close partnership, with clearly defined and complementary responsibilities, to position Mercy For Animals for long-term success for farmed animals.

For more information about Mercy For Animals' work, visit MercyForAnimals.org, or contact Ronnika A. McFall at [email protected].

Mercy For Animals is a leading international nonprofit working to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a just and sustainable food system. Active in Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, Southeast Asia and the United States, the organization has conducted over 100 investigations of factory farms and slaughterhouses, influenced over 500 corporate policies and helped pass historic legislation to ban cages for farmed animals. Learn more at MercyForAnimals.org.

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SOURCE Mercy For Animals