Kellogg Company announces additional appointments to North America Cereal Co. leadership team

Kellogg Company announced additional appointments to the future leadership team of North America Cereal Co.:

• Norma Barnes-Euresti to serve as chief legal officer
• Mike Christensen to serve as chief human resources officer
• Stacy Flathau to serve as chief corporate affairs officer
• Sarah Ludmer to serve as chief wellbeing and ESG officer
• Bill Rex to serve as chief information officer

These appointees complete the North America Cereal Co. leadership team, along with the six other leaders announced on August 24: Gary Pilnick, chief executive officer; Dave McKinstray, chief financial officer; Sherry Brice-Williamson, chief supply chain officer; Doug VanDeVelde, chief growth officer; Bruce Brown, chief customer officer; and Shannon Bible, chief transformation officer.

The leaders will report to Gary Pilnick, chief executive officer designate of North America Cereal Co. 

Sarah Ludmer will have a dual reporting role to both Gary Pilnick and Doug VanDeVelde, chief growth officer.

As announced in June 2022, Kellogg Company plans to separate three of its businesses – Global Snacking Co., North America Cereal Co., and Plant Co. – to enable each business to unlock its full standalone potential.

"I am delighted to announce the completion of the North America Cereal Co. leadership team with these world-class appointments and would like to welcome Norma, Mike, Stacy, Sarah, and Bill to their future roles," Gary Pilnick, chief executive officer designate of North America Cereal Co, said in the announcement. "The knowledge and experience of this diverse team will provide a strong foundation for North America Cereal Co. to continue building momentum and capitalize on its compelling long-term opportunities for investment and profit growth. We are all excited to unlock the full potential of the business and its powerful brands, and we are proud to carry forward the rich legacy of W.K. Kellogg."

Steve Cahillane, Kellogg Company's chairman and chief executive officer, added in the announcement, "The completion of the future leadership team of North America Cereal Co. marks a significant milestone on our journey to unleash the potential of this business. With more than 165 years of combined experience at Kellogg Company and significant subject matter expertise, I am confident that this is the right team to lead North America Cereal Co. into the future." 

The additional leadership appointments are subject to – and will be effective upon – completion of the planned separation of North America Cereal Co., which is on track to be completed by the end of 2023, following the satisfaction of customary conditions. Board appointments will be made as the separation process progresses. As previously announced on August 24, the remainder of the Kellogg Company Executive Committee will remain with Global Snacking Co. 

Norma Barnes-Euresti

Barnes-Euresti is a 23-year veteran of Kellogg Company and brings her substantial knowledge of Kellogg and the ready-to-eat-cereal category to the role of chief legal officer of North America Cereal Co. In her current role as vice president and chief counsel, employment, ethics & compliance at Kellogg Company, she manages all Kellogg business units in the areas of labor and employment. She joined the Keebler Company in November 1999 and became an employee of Kellogg as part of the company's 2001 acquisition of the Keebler business. She is an American Bar Association Fellow and serves on the board of directors for the National Judicial College and the LGBT Bar Association.

Mike Christensen

In his current position as senior director, human resources for North America Sales, Christensen plays a critical role in overseeing the company’s equity, diversity, and inclusion strategy, and in driving talent, organizational effectiveness, and culture at Kellogg, making him the ideal choice to take on the role of chief human resources officer of North America Cereal Co. Throughout his more than 11-year career at Kellogg, he has held roles supporting the ready-to-eat cereal business, developing significant expertise in organization and change management as well as talent strategy. Prior to joining Kellogg in 2011, Christensen held several human resources roles at The Toro Company.

Stacy Flathau

Building on her 13-year Kellogg career, Flathau brings significant stakeholder engagement experience to the role of chief corporate affairs officer of North America Cereal Co. where she will be responsible for communications, government relations and philanthropy. In her current role as senior director, corporate communications at Kellogg Company, Flathau is responsible for external communications, including media relations, crisis communications, supply chain, and labor communications. Prior to joining Kellogg, she was a journalist for 15 years, reporting on business and partnering with an editorial board of staff and community leaders as a metro editor and columnist at the Battle Creek Enquirer.

Sarah Ludmer

As the current senior director of wellbeing and regulatory at Kellogg Company, Ludmer brings deep experience to the role of chief wellbeing and ESG Officer of North America Cereal Co., where she will shape the company's wellbeing and regulatory agenda and oversee consumer affairs. The entire North America Cereal Co. leadership team will work together to create and deliver the company's ESG strategy, and she will partner with Doug VanDeVelde, chief growth officer, to commercialize ESG. Since joining Kellogg in 2014, Ludmer has worked on nutrition marketing and regulatory initiatives that have helped shape the company's growth portfolio. Prior to joining Kellogg, she managed the Nutrition Working Group at Del Monte Foods and worked as a clinical dietitian. In her new role, she will report to both Gary Pilnick, chief executive officer, and Doug VanDeVelde, chief growth officer.

Bill Rex

As the current chief information officer of Kellogg North America, Rex is uniquely positioned to step into the role of chief information officer of North America Cereal Co. Bill brings significant IT expertise and leadership experience to the role, having led several successful IT transformation programs at Kellogg. Prior to joining Kellogg in 2020, Rex held IT positions at Stryker, Mylan, and Rockwell Collins.