Company veteran chosen as Cargill’s new CEO
Brian Sikes was recently elected president and CEO of Cargill, effective January 1, 2023. Current CEO, Dave MacLennan, will assume the role of executive chair of Cargill’s board of directors.
Sikes will be the 10th CEO in Cargill’s 157-year history. The US agribusiness group said he brings a strong track record of business operational rigor to the role, having grown the company’s global protein and salt operations.
Currently Cargill’s chief operating officer (COO), Sikes has broad experience across multiple businesses, cycles, and geographies, having held leadership roles in the US, Canada, and Europe.
“As Cargill continues to navigate dynamic global markets, both operational excellence and a clearly articulated vision driven by purpose and values will define the company’s success, and there is no better person than Brian to lead Cargill,” said MacLennan. “He’s a person of action and results, with a relentless passion for serving our customers and our people.”
Legacy
MacLennan joined Cargill in 1991 and served in multiple executive roles, including CFO and COO, before becoming the company’s chairman and CEO in 2013.
Cargill outlined how, during his nine years at the company’s helm, MacLennan helped achieve outstanding financial results; his long-term strategic vision and willingness to disrupt are exemplified by his leadership on the largest acquisitions in the company’s history, including Croda (bioindustrials), EWOS (aquaculture), Diamond V (animal nutrition), and Sanderson and Wayne Farms (poultry). “In addition, Cargill built expertise in alternative proteins and has developed technologies and digital solutions to transform farming, supply chains and food delivery during his tenure.”
Under his leadership, the company is on a path to achieve gender parity by 2030 and the representation of women on the executive team has increased to 46%, said the organization. “In addition, he has been an industry leader in sustainability, particularly around climate change. He prioritized action, not just making commitments, with programs like RegenConnect, which has advanced regenerative agriculture practices on 158,000 acres of North American farmland, and BeefUp Sustainability, which has reduced 1.7 million metric tons of CO2.”