USA – Agribusiness giant Cargill Inc. has appointed Brian Sikes as its 10th CEO in 157 years of history of operation, succeeding Dave MacLennan, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
Cargill said Sikes, who became chief operating officer last year after running Cargill’s meat business, brings a strong track record of business operational rigor to the role, having grown the company’s global Protein and Salt enterprise into an industry leader.
Sikes has worked at Cargill since 1991 and has a vast understanding of the agribusiness global business, having held leadership roles in the US, Canada, and Europe, and serving as the head of the company’s Talent Center of Expertise.
He was president of the Wichita-based North American protein group from 2015 to 2019 and was part of Cargill’s decision to remain in Wichita and build a new headquarters at Douglas in Old Town.
In 2019, Sikes left the protein role and became part of the company’s executive team, staying in Wichita to lead global protein and salt divisions later left Wichita for Minnesota in 2021 when he was named COO, a position Cargill doesn’t usually have in its corporate structure.
Sikes has been co-signing internal memos coming from MacLennan’s office, a sign he was being groomed for the top job, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the information is private, Yahoo Finance reports.
“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. Brian has the qualities we value in a strong leader—integrity, empathy, resilience, and authenticity. Under his leadership, I am confident the best days for Cargill, and its greatest contributions, lie ahead.”
MacLennan, who has held the CEO role since 2013, will assume the role of Executive Chair of Cargill’s Board of Directors.
During his 9-years tenure as the CEO, Cargill grew revenue from US$134 billion in 2013 to more than US$165 billion last year.
His key achievement, as noted by the company include the US$4.5 billion purchase of Sanderson Farms with investment firm Continental Grain, the nation’s third-largest producer of chicken.
In addition, he also led the company in aUS$1 billion purchase deal of Croda International PLC’s performance technologies and industrial chemicals business, EWOS (aquaculture), and Diamond V (animal nutrition).
In addition, the company-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 underscored that it increased the representation of women on its executive team to 46%, putting it on a path to reaching gender parity by 2030.
He has also been an industry leader in sustainability, particularly around climate change, initiating 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.
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