General Mills fills new global CMO role

Former Coca-Cola executive joins the cereal maker in July

Canadian Grocer staff

6/23/2017

Ivan Pollard will join General Mills as its new global Chief Marketing Officer, effective July 10, 2017. Pollard comes to General Mills from Coca-Cola North America where he was senior vice president of strategic marketing. Pollard will report to General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening and will work to establish the company’s first global marketing and media planning function. (PRNewsfoto/General Mills)

After announcing a new organizational structure in December that eliminated executive positions including four group presidents and the chief marketing officer role in the U.S., General Mills has hired Ivan Pollard as its new global CMO.

Pollard, who was most recently senior vice-president, strategic marketing for Coca-Cola North America, will oversee the cereal maker's marketing strategies and media planning globally, effective July 10. He will report to Jeff Harmening, a longtime General Mills executive who stepped into the chief executive officer role earlier this month.

"Ivan's diverse global experience brings us a fresh perspective on our brands and a deep understanding of how to operationalize integrated, modern marketing in the digital age," said Harmening, in a press release.

Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Pollard was a partner in Naked Communications and had leading roles in global agencies such as BMP and Wieden+Kennedy.

Related Topics