MINNEAPOLIS — John Church, chief transformation and enterprise services officer at General Mills, Inc., plans to retire next month after more than 30 years with the company.
Mr. Church currently leads large-scale transformation efforts associated with the company’s “Accelerate” strategy, with additional accountabilities for its sustainability and global impact, security and shared services functions. Prior to his current role, he was chief supply chain officer for 13 years, leading procurement, logistics, manufacturing, engineering and human safety. Accountability for corporate social responsibility, security and global shared services were added to the role in 2017.
“While he spent much of his career leading our supply chain efforts, John’s significant contributions are evident throughout our organization,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman and chief executive officer of General Mills. “His true legacy is the innumerable employees he’s managed and mentored, many into senior leaders themselves. John is the embodiment of servant leadership. He leads by creating a compelling vision, fostering a team-first culture and guiding with great humility.”
During his tenure, Mr. Church led the integration of the Pillsbury and General Mills manufacturing logistics networks. More recently, he oversaw the divestiture of the company's European Yoplait business. He is the lead director for the supervisory board of Cereal Partners Worldwide, General Mills’ joint venture with Nestlé. He also is the executive sponsor for the company’s Hispanic Employee Network.
Mr. Church joined General Mills in 1988 as a product developer and led the launch of several new products, including Multi-Grain Cheerios and Trix shapes. He will retire from the company on Jan. 31, 2022.