UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

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FORM 8-K

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CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 31, 2020

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UNIVERSAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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Virginia		001-00652	54-0414210
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
9201 Forest Hill Avenue,	Richmond,	Virginia	23235
(Address of principal executive offices)			(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

(804) 359-9311

Not applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbols	Name of Exchange on which registered
Common Stock, no par value	UVV	New York Stock Exchange

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a- 12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240. 14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240. 14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company    ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.             ¨

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Item 8.01.	Other Events.

On March 31, 2020, the Company issued a press release announcing the appointment of J. Patrick O’Keefe as Senior Vice President of Universal Global Ventures, Inc.  The press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated into this Item 8.01.

Item 9.01.	Exhibits.
(d)	Exhibits
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	No.	Description
	99.1	Press release dated March 31, 2020, announcing appointment of J. Patrick O'Keefe as Senior Vice President of Universal Global Ventures, Inc.
	104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Company has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

		UNIVERSAL CORPORATION
		(Registrant)
Date:	March 31, 2020	By:	/s/ Preston D. Wigner
			Preston D. Wigner
			Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary

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Exhibit Index

Exhibit
Number	Document
99.1	Press release dated March 31, 2020, announcing appointment of J. Patrick O'Keefe as Senior Vice President of Universal Global Ventures, Inc.
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

		Exhibit

Exhibit 99.1

P.O. Box 25099 ~ Richmond, VA 23260 ~ Phone: (804) 359-9311 ~ Fax: (804) 254-3584

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P R E S S R E L E A S E

CONTACT:	Candace C. Formacek	RELEASE:	4:15 p.m. ET
	Phone: (804) 359-9311
	Fax: (804) 254-3584
	Email: investor@universalleaf.com

Universal Corporation Appoints J. Patrick O’Keefe as

Senior Vice President of Universal Global Ventures, Inc.

Richmond, VA March 31, 2020/ PRNEWSWIRE

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) today announced that it has appointed J. Patrick O’Keefe as Senior Vice President of Universal Global Ventures, Inc., effective April 1, 2020. Universal Global Ventures, Inc. is a wholly-owned non-tobacco subsidiary of Universal Corporation that holds FruitSmart, Inc., Universal’s recently acquired independent specialty fruit and vegetable ingredient processor serving global markets.

In this newly created role, Mr. O’Keefe will oversee the Company’s nascent plant-based ingredient platform and the Company’s previously stated efforts to continue to build out a broader agri-products services platform.

"We are pleased to welcome Patrick to Universal Corporation as we expand and deepen our strong bench of executive talent in areas outside of tobacco," said George C. Freeman, III, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation. "With almost three decades of food and beverage industry experience, Patrick brings skills that are directly relevant to our ongoing strategic and growth initiatives in adjacent industries."

Mr. O’Keefe said, "I am excited to join Universal Corporation and look forward to working alongside George and the Company’s leadership team to build on the momentum already underway."

Mr. O’Keefe brings nearly 30 years of diverse, multilevel experience in the food ingredients industry. Prior to joining Universal, Mr. O’Keefe served as Chief Operating Officer for Allen Flavors, an innovative flavor manufacturer to the food and beverage industry. Previously, from 2015 to 2018, Mr. O’Keefe served

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as Chief Executive Officer of the Americas for Döhler Group, a global producer, marketer and provider of technology-based natural ingredients, ingredient systems and integrated solutions for the food and beverage industry. From 2007 to 2015, he served as President of Finlay Tea Solutions US, Inc. and then Chief Executive Officer of Finlays Extracts & Ingredients, both subsidiaries of James Finlay International, a global supplier of tea, coffee and botanical extracts. Earlier in his career, Mr. O’Keefe held roles of increasing responsibility at Sensient Flavors, Inc., Givaudan Flavors and International Flavors & Fragrances.

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV), headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, sources, processes, and supplies agri-products. Tobacco has been our principal focus since our founding in 1918, and we are the leading global leaf tobacco supplier. We conduct business in more than 30 countries on five continents. Our revenues for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019, were $2.2 billion. For more information on Universal Corporation, visit our website at www.universalcorp.com.

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