General Mills Names COO Dana McNabb as CEO, Effective January 1 as Harmening Moves to Executive Chair

General Mills announced on September 30, 2026 that its board of directors unanimously elected Chief Operating Officer Dana McNabb to succeed Jeff Harmening as Chief Executive Officer, with both appointments taking effect January 1, 2027. Harmening, who has led the company for nine years, will transition to executive chair of the board. The WSJ framed the handoff as McNabb taking the helm of a turnaround effort at the cereal and packaged-foods maker.

McNabb is a 27-year General Mills veteran who joined the company in 1999 and has held senior roles spanning general management, enterprise strategy, marketing and international operations. She served as President of the U.S. Cereal Operating Unit, Group President for Europe and Australia, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, and most recently Group President for North America Retail before being named COO in June 2026. Independent Lead Director Maria Henry called her "the right executive to lead the company through its next chapter of growth and value creation."

Harmening's tenure was marked by the delivery of more than $17 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, along with a significant portfolio overhaul that included the addition of the Pet category. Under his watch, roughly a third of the company's portfolio was revamped for greater growth.

General Mills stock underperformed its peers on Wednesday and entered oversold territory according to Dividend Channel's DividendRank formula. Separately, the board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, payable November 2, 2026, to shareholders of record as of October 13, 2026, extending the company's uninterrupted dividend streak to 128 years.