General Mills has appointed Chief Operating Officer Dana McNabb as its next Chief Executive Officer, with the change taking effect on 1 January 2027. Current CEO Jeff Harmening will become Executive Chair of the company’s Board of Directors on the same date.
McNabb will take over after 27 years with General Mills. She has held senior roles in general management, strategy, marketing and international operations. She became Group President of North America Retail in 2024 and added responsibility for North America Pet in 2025.
In June 2026, she became Chief Operating Officer, overseeing all four operating segments and key functions, including North America Pet, International, sales, supply chain, and innovation, technology and quality.
General Mills includes petfood in its portfolio through brands such as Blue Buffalo. The company identified its Pet category as part of the portfolio it has reshaped for growth under Harmening’s leadership.
In May 2025, General Mills expanded McNabb’s responsibilities to include North America Pet. At the time, the company described Pet as a key growth area and said McNabb would oversee the segment alongside North America Retail.
McNabb said her priority as CEO will be to return General Mills to profitable growth. She said the company will focus on digitally enabled demand generation and supply-chain modernisation.
“It is an honor and a privilege to lead General Mills into the future,” McNabb said. “Returning the company to profitable growth is the priority, and we know how we’ll get there.” She added that General Mills has the brands and people to win and that her role will be to help the company to achieve that.
McNabb also credited outgoing CEO Jeff Harmening with strengthening the company during his tenure. “I also have the utmost appreciation for the strong foundation Jeff laid for our next chapter,” she said. McNabb said Harmening modernised General Mills, strengthened its digital and technology capabilities, reshaped its portfolio for growth and encouraged changes in how the company operates.
“We are a more resilient company today thanks to his leadership and foresight,” McNabb said.
