General Mills has appointed COO Dana McNabb as its next CEO, succeeding Jeff Harmening, effective January 1.
McNabb has spent 27 years at General Mills in senior roles spanning general management, strategy, marketing and international operations. As COO, she oversees the company’s four operating segments, including North America Retail, North America Pet, North America Foodservice and International, as well as sales, supply chain, innovation, technology and quality.
She previously served as group president of North America Retail and added responsibility for the Pet business last year. Her other roles included chief strategy and growth officer and group president of Europe and Australia.
“It is an honour and a privilege to lead General Mills into the future,” said McNabb.
“Returning the company to profitable growth is the priority, and we know how we’ll get there. By building industry-leading, digitally enabled demand generation and modernising our supply chain, we will fundamentally improve how we operate. This is a company with the brands and the people to win, my job is to make sure we do.”
Harmening, who has led the FMCG giant for nearly a decade, will transition to executive chair of the board.
During his tenure, the company has reshaped its portfolio, including expanding into the pet category, and returned more than US$17 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.
