CAMDEN, N.J. — The board of directors of Campbell Soup Co. has named Denise Morrison president and chief executive officer.

The board of directors of Campbell Soup Co. has named Denise Morrison president and chief executive officer.

Plans call for Morrison to take the CEO reins starting August 1. She had been executive vice president and chief operating officer since October 2010.

Morrison succeeds Douglas Conant, who will step down on July 31 after more than a decade in the CEO position. He will also retire from the board at that time.

Conant’s successor has more than 35 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, having begun her career at Procter & Gamble Co. in 1975. She later held positions of increasing responsibility at Pepsico Inc., Nestle USA, Kraft Foods Inc. and Nabisco Brands Inc.