Dive Brief:
- General Mills promoted Dana McNabb to chief operating officer, effective June 1. McNabb will continue to report to CEO Jeff Harmening and join General Mills’ board of directors.
- As COO, McNabb will oversee global operating segments and key functions, including supply chain, innovation, as well as strategy and growth.
- McNabb, who is group president of North America retail, also will continue her current responsibilities, which include overseeing the company’s North America pet segment.
Dive Insight:
McNabb started at General Mills in 1999 and has worked across the company’s major businesses, including cereal, snacks, meals and dairy.
Similar to McNabb, Harmening served as COO at General Mills and spent 23 years at the company before he became CEO in 2017.
While General Mills didn’t hint that Harmening has plans to leave anytime soon, McNabb’s promotion and decades at the company ideally position her to take the top post at the maker of Fiber One bars and Bisquick pancake mixes in the future.
The promotion comes as food makers deal with a decline in consumer spending. Shoppers are dealing with inflation and pushing back against multiple rounds of price increases from General Mills and other food companies.
General Mills, which posted a 3% drop in organic sales during its most recent quarter, has cut prices on nearly two-thirds of its grocery products in North America to attract consumers.
Harmening described McNabb as a “disciplined, strategic leader and results-driven operator.”
“As someone who looks ahead and acts with urgency, Dana has led an initiative to reinvigorate our brands by strengthening their remarkability,” Harmening said. “She is exceptionally well suited to lead our global operations and restore profitable growth for General Mills and our shareholders.”
McNabb's promotion further shakes up General Mills' supply chain leadership. In March, the food maker named company veteran Jonathan Ness as chief supply chain officer. Ness oversees manufacturing, logistics, sourcing and planning.
To better handle disruptions and other supply chain complexities, the packaged foods company has pushed to digitize its end-to-end operations in a bid to garner better visibility, productivity and strategic decision making. General Mills also shuttered three manufacturing plants in Missouri in October as part of a multiyear push to adjust its network footprint.
Kelly Stroh contributed to this story.
