General Mills announced on May 6 that Dana McNabb has been promoted to chief operating officer, effective June 1, 2026. McNabb will also join the company’s board of directors and continue to report to chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Harmening.
The appointment places McNabb in charge of all General Mills’ operating segments and key functions, including International and North America Foodservice segments as well as Digital & Technology, Innovation, Technology & Quality, Strategy and Growth, and Supply Chain teams. The company said she will maintain her current responsibilities leading North America Retail and North America Pet divisions.
“Dana is a disciplined, strategic leader and results-driven operator with a proven passion for our brands and consumers,” said Harmening. “As someone who looks ahead and acts with urgency, Dana has led an initiative to reinvigorate our brands by strengthening their remarkability. She is exceptionally well suited to lead our global operations and restore profitable growth for General Mills and our shareholders.”
McNabb has held several leadership roles at General Mills since joining the company in Canada in 1999. Her experience includes serving as group president of North America Retail since 2024 before adding North America Pet in 2025. She previously worked as chief strategy & growth officer; group president for Europe & Australia; president of the U.S. Cereal unit; vice president of global marketing for Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), a joint venture with Nestlé based in Switzerland; among other roles.
McNabb holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from London School of Business. She serves on the CPW board as well.
General Mills is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker GIS, supports community well-being by working with nonprofits to ensure access to nutritious meals, employs more than 30,000 people globally, aims to create food that people enjoy while responsibly caring for the environment, pioneered iconic cereals that influenced breakfast traditions, has earned spots on lists like TIME’s World’s Best Companies and Newsweek’s America’s Most Responsible Companies—all according to the official website.
Looking forward, McNabb’s expanded role signals General Mills’ focus on global operational leadership amid ongoing efforts toward innovation across its portfolio.
