Who is Martin Bally? Campbell Soup Company executive under fire over ‘poor’ customer remark

st. Martin Bally, a Vice President of Campbell Soup Company, has been secretly recorded in a virtual meeting with a former cybersecurity analyst, making fun of their "poor customers." The video, secretly recorded and shared online by the analyst - a former Campbell employee, has sparked a row, leaving Bally and the company in a pickle.

Bally was on a virtual call with Robert Garza, the former cybersecurity analyst, when he made a series of controversial comments. Apart from mocking Campbell Soup customers for being poor, Bally also criticized Indian-origin coworkers for being “idiots.” Moreover, Bally revealed to Garza that he had shown up to work high on drugs and got the employee who reported it fired from the job.

Garza, who is from Michigan, was hired by Campbell's as a cybersecurity analyst in September 2024. He was having a "routine salary meeting" with Martin Bally when the latter made the controversial comments. Garza secretly recorded the comments and made them viral.

Based on the comments and the recorded video, Garza filed a lawsuit against the Campbell Soup Company in Michigan last week. Campbell Soup Company told CBS News that they have temporarily suspended Bally and is conducting a probe into the alleged comments.

Meanwhile, the lawsuit and the video have sparked a probe into the quality of Campbell's products by Florida's Consumer Protection Agency.

Martin Bally is a cybersecurity expert who leads the cybersecurity division at Campbell Soup Company as it's Chief Information Security Officer. His LinkedIn profile states that he has been working with the Campbell Soup Company as Vice President cur cybersecurity chief for three years- starting in 2022.

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Bally's LinkedIn bio states that he has over 23 years of experience in cybersecurity. Records on the profile show that he previously worked with Stellantis as its Global Chief Information Security Officer, along with stints at American Axle & Manufacturing, Diebold Nixdorf and ZF Group.

Despite Bally's alleged comments, Campbell Soup Company defended its product in a statement, adding that they are investigating if the comments were actually made by Bally.

“If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We were not aware of the recording,” a company spokesperson said.

“We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”

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