General Mills Names Dana McNabb Chief Executive, With Jeff Harmening to Become Executive Chair

General Mills has announced that its board of directors unanimously elected Dana McNabb, currently the company’s Chief Operating Officer, to succeed Jeff Harmening as Chief Executive Officer. According to the company’s press release, dated 30 September 2026, Mr Harmening will become executive chair of the board. Both appointments take effect on 1 January 2027.

The Incoming Chief Executive

The release says that over a 27-year career at General Mills, Ms McNabb has held several senior leadership positions in general management, enterprise strategy, marketing and international. She started her General Mills career in Canada in 1999, according to the company. As Chief Operating Officer, the release states, she currently leads all four of the company’s operating segments and key operating functions, including North America Retail, North America Pet, North America Foodservice, International, Sales, Supply Chain, and Innovation, Technology and Quality.

What the Company Said

In the release, a statement made on behalf of the board by Maria Henry described what it called a “robust, multi-year succession planning process” and said the board is confident Ms McNabb is the right executive to lead the company through its next chapter of growth and value creation. The release also records the board’s gratitude to Mr Harmening.

Ms McNabb said it was an honour and a privilege to lead General Mills into the future, and thanked Mr Harmening for the foundation he laid. Mr Harmening, for his part, said he was confident that she has the vision, urgency and intellect needed to advance the company’s next chapter, according to the release.

Why It Matters

The company has presented the change as the outcome of a planned, multi-year process, and has set the effective date three months after the announcement. Pairing a new chief executive with the outgoing one as executive chair is a structure that keeps the previous leader involved at board level during the early period of the handover, though the release does not describe how the two roles will divide responsibilities. That detail, and the strategy the new chief executive intends to pursue, will be worth watching after 1 January 2027.