Longtime General Mills Exec Promoted to COO
General Mills has promoted Dana McNabb to chief operating officer effective June 1, 2026. McNabb, who joined General Mills more than 25 years ago, will continue to be responsible for leading the company’s North America Retail and North America Pet businesses, adding oversight of all operating segments and key operating functions.
The International and North America Foodservice segments, and the Digital & Technology, Innovation, Technology & Quality, Strategy and Growth, and Supply Chain teams will report up to McNabb in her new role. She will report to chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening, and will join the board of directors.
McNabb has been group president of North America Retail since 2024 and North America Pet since 2025. She started her career at General Mills in 1999 in Canada, working her way through the company’s major businesses’ marketing groups in the cereal, snacks, meals and dairy segments. She has held roles as chief strategy & growth officer; group president, Europe & Australia; president, U.S. Cereal operating unit; and vice president of Global Marketing for Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), a joint venture with Nestlé in Switzerland.
About the Author
Andy Hanacek
Senior Editor
Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.