General Mills has promoted chief operating officer Dana McNabb to succeed CEO Jeff Harmening from 1 January 2027.
Harmening, who joined the Cheerios and Old El Paso maker in 1994 and has held numerous roles during his 32-year tenure, will become executive chairman of the board.
Over a 27-year career at General Mills, McNabb has held several senior leadership positions in general management, enterprise strategy, marketing and international. As COO, she currently leads all four General Mills operating segments, including North America retail, pet, foodservice and international.
McNabb served as group president of North America retail starting in 2024, and added pet to her responsibilities in 2025. She previously held roles as chief strategy and growth officer; president of the Europe and Australia division, president of the US cereal unit and vice president of global marketing for Cereal Partners Worldwide, the company’s joint venture with Nestlé in Switzerland.
“Following a robust, multi-year succession planning process, the board is confident that Dana is the right executive to lead the company through its next chapter of growth and value creation,” said Maria Henry, the board’s independent lead director.
She added: “I also want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Jeff. Under his leadership, General Mills has become a larger company with a stronger portfolio. It has delivered over $17bn to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, and revamped a third of its portfolio for greater growth, including the addition of the growing pet category.
“The company has benefited from Jeff’s steadfast and calm leadership during nearly a decade of extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances. We are fortunate to have Jeff continue as executive chair of the board to help ensure a smooth transition.”
McNabb said: “It is an honour and a privilege to lead General Mills into the future. 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.
“I also have the utmost appreciation for the strong foundation Jeff laid for our next chapter.”
General Mills is in the midst of its ‘Accelerate’ turnaround plan, which has so far included the divestment of its US and Canadian yoghurt businesses as the group focuses on its core and attempts to drive growth.
Net sales fell 3% to $4.4bn and organic sales were flat in its first quarter to 30 August, which Harmening said last week was “an encouraging start”. The group is aiming to restore profitable organic growth in the long term.
“It’s been an incredible honour,” Harmening said. “I sincerely thank the entire General Mills team for all they have done to advance our Accelerate strategy, often against the most trying of circumstances.
“Looking ahead, I am confident that Dana has the vision, urgency and intellect needed to advance our next chapter. I have had the opportunity to witness first-hand her ability to drive transformation and build a high-performing culture. She is the right leader for this time, one that will take our company to the next level.”
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