Kraft Heinz taps former Kellanova CEO to lead company ahead of breakup
Summarize this article with:
In this articleKraft Heinz on Tuesday announced that former Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane will lead the company ahead of its planned split next year.Cahillane will join the Oscar Mayer owner as chief executive on Jan. 1.
After Kraft Heinz divides into two publicly traded companies, he will serve as CEO of the business it is calling Global Taste Elevation, which will include high-growth brands like Heinz, Philadelphia and Kraft Mac & Cheese.Cahillane previously led Kellogg through its own breakup in 2023. The company split its sluggish North American cereal business from its high-growth snacking unit, which was then renamed Kellanova. Cahillane stayed on as chief executive of Kellanova until Mars acquired the company for $35.9 billion.Outgoing Kraft Heinz CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera was originally tapped to lead the other company known as North American Grocery. However, he will now serve as an advisor through March 6.
The Kraft Heinz board will initiate a search for a chief executive to lead the portfolio of grocery staples, which includes brands like Oscar Mayer and Kraft Singles.As part of the transition, John Cahill, who served as CEO of Kraft during its merger with Heinz a decade ago, will succeed Miguel Patricio as chair of the board.Kraft Heinz is projecting that the separation will happen in the second half of 2026.Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inboxGet this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.© 2025 Versant Media, LLC.
All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by