Toymaker Mattel and Cheerios maker General Mills on Wednesday named new chief executive officers, the latest global consumer goods companies to reshuffle leadership as they navigate tariff pressures and choppy consumer spending.
Here are some of the major CEO changes among global retailers and consumer goods companies in 2025 and 2026:
| Company | Date of Announcement | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Mattel | September 30, 2026 | Mattel named board member Roger Lynch as CEO. |
| General Mills | September 30, 2026 | General Mills named Chief Operating Officer Dana McNabb as CEO effective January 1, 2027. |
| Hormel Foods | July 28, 2026 | Hormel Foods named insider and industry veteran John Ghingo as CEO. |
| Domino’s Pizza | June 22, 2026 | Domino’s Pizza named Joe Jordan as CEO, effective October 1. |
| Tyson Foods | May 28, 2026 | Tyson Foods said board member and former Procter & Gamble executive Jeff Schomburger will take over as CEO in October. |
| Wendy’s | May 20, 2026 | Wendy’s named industry veteran Robert Wright as president and CEO. |
| Lululemon Athletica | April 22, 2026 | Lululemon picked a former top Nike executive as its next CEO as the athletic apparel retailer known for its stretchy yoga pants faces pressure from its founder and a large activist investor to revive its struggling business. |
| Best Buy | April 22, 2026 | Best Buy named Jason Bonfig as its new CEO, replacing Corie Barry, effective October 31. |
| Conagra | April 13, 2026 | Conagra Brands named J.M. Smucker executive John Brase as its new CEO, succeeding Sean Connolly. |
| Dollar General | March 24, 2026 | Dollar General named Jerry Fleeman Jr. as its new CEO, replacing company veteran Todd Vasos, effective January 1, 2027. |
| Kroger | February 9, 2026 | Kroger named former Walmart executive Greg Foran as its CEO, effective immediately, succeeding interim chief Ron Sargent. |
| Heineken | January 12, 2026 | Heineken said its CEO Dolf van den Brink would step down on May 31 after nearly six years of leading the Dutch brewer, as the industry battles to get drinkers buying more beer. |
| Coty | December 22, 2025 | Coty named Procter & Gamble veteran Markus Strobel interim CEO and executive chairman, handing him the reins as the CoverGirl parent battles a steep share-price slide and pressure on its mass-market business. |
| Kraft Heinz | December 16, 2025 | Kraft Heinz named industry veteran and former Kellanova head Steve Cahillane as its new CEO, ahead of the packaged food giant’s split. Cahillane will join the new role on January 1, succeeding Carlos Abrams-Rivera, who will serve as an advisor until March 6. |
| Altria | December 11, 2025 | Altria announced that CEO Billy Gifford, who has led the tobacco giant since 2020, will retire, effective May 14, 2026. The tobacco giant announced Gifford will be succeeded by finance head Salvatore Mancuso. |
| Coca-Cola | December 10, 2025 | Coca-Cola named COO Henrique Braun as its new CEO, effective March 31, 2026. Braun succeeds James Quincey, who is stepping down after nine years at the helm. |
| Kohl’s Corp | November 24, 2025 | Kohl’s Corp named retail veteran Michael Bender as its permanent CEO, after he served as the interim chief since May. Bender replaced Ashley Buchanan, who was fired for a personal relationship with a vendor. |
| Walmart | November 14, 2025 | The company said Doug McMillon, who has been heading the retail bellwether since 2014, will retire in January 2026. John Furner, McMillon’s successor, currently serves as CEO of Walmart U.S. and has held leadership roles at the company. |
| Nestle | September 1, 2025 | Nestle dismissed its CEO, Laurent Freixe, a year after appointing him, following an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate that breached the company’s code of conduct. Freixe was replaced by Philipp Navratil, CEO of Nestle Nespresso, on September 1. |
| Target | August 20, 2025 | The retailer named longtime company veteran Michael Fiddelke as its CEO, replacing retail industry bigwig Brian Cornell, effective February 1, 2026. |
| Procter & Gamble | July 28, 2025 | Procter & Gamble said CEO Jon Moeller is stepping away from the role, to be succeeded by Chief Operating Officer Shailesh Jejurikar. |
| Diageo | July 16, 2025 | The Johnnie Walker whisky and Guinness beer maker’s CEO, Debra Crew, stepped down after two years in the job, with finance chief Nik Jhangiani taking over in the interim. |
| Kenvue | July 14, 2025 | The Band-Aid and Tylenol maker fired its CEO Thibaut Mongon, laying what some investors expect will be the groundwork for an eventual sale of the entire company or pieces of it, and named director Kirk Perry as interim CEO. |
| Hindustan Unilever | July 10, 2025 | Hindustan Unilever named Priya Nair as managing director and CEO, replacing Rohit Jawa well before the completion of his five-year term as the company’s chief. |
| Hershey | July 8, 2025 | Hershey named burger chain Wendy’s |
| Stanley Black & Decker | June 30, 2025 | The power tools maker appointed operations chief Christopher Nelson as its next CEO and president, effective October 1, succeeding Donald Allan Jr., who is set to retire. |
| Unilever | February 25, 2025 | The company ousted chief executive Hein Schumacher, replacing him with finance chief Fernando Fernandez. |
(Reporting by Neil J Kanatt, Sanskriti Shekhar, Koyena Das and Shania S Thomas in Bengaluru, and Vera Dvorakova in Gdansk; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Maju Samuel and Diti Pujara)
