Pitch Johnson, chairman of the board of SFO, said, "Karl Mills led this company through four of the toughest years in recent memory and did so with incredible grace and unwavering dedication...I can't think of a better person to take over as president than George Hume. His great love of opera is matched by a strong record as a business leader and philanthropist. I am confident that the partnership of George Hume and [general director] David Gockley is just right for the future of San Francisco Opera."

Hume is the chairman of food processing company Basic American Foods, headquartered in San Francisco. A graduate of Yale University, he also holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University. Hume chaired the search committee that selected David Gockley as SFO general director and co-chaired the Committee to Restore the San Francisco Opera House.