Kellogg Names Bill Rex CIO of North America Cereal Amid Business Separation
Kellogg Company will soon have a new chief information officer of North America Cereal Co., tapping Bill Rex as part of the brand’s business segmentation strategy. With Rex’s appointment, along with several others recently named, this completes the North America Cereal Co. leadership team.
Rex is currently the CIO for Kellogg North America, making the transition an easy one. He brings IT and leadership experience and has led several IT transformation projects across the company. Previously, Rex held IT positions at Stryker, Mylan, and Rockwell Collins.
Additional leadership changes at North America Cereal Co. include Norma Barnes-Euresti as chief legal officer, Mike Christensen as chief human resources officer, Stacy Flathau as chief corporate affairs officer, and Sarah Ludmer as chief wellbeing and ESG officer.
“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,” said Steve Cahillane, Kellogg Company's chairman and CEO. “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.”
Norma Barnes-Euresti
Barnes-Euresti is currently the VP and chief counsel, employment, ethics and compliance at Kellogg Company, where she oversees the areas of labor and employment. She has been with the Kellogg Company for 23 years. She first joined Keebler in 1999, which was then acquired by Kellogg.
Mike Christensen
Christensen is currently the senior director of human resources for North America sales, overseeing the company’s equity, diversity, and inclusion strategy. He has been with the company for 11 years, holding roles across change management and talent strategy. He previously held human resources roles at The Toro Company.
Stacy Flathau
Flathau is currently senior director of corporate communications at Kellogg Company, where she manages external communications, media relations, crisis communications, and supply chain and labor communications. In her new role, Flathau will be responsible for communications, government relations, and philanthropy. Flathau has a journalistic background, reporting on business.
Sarah Ludmer
Ludmer is currently the senior director of wellbeing and regulatory at Kellogg Company. In her new role, she will shape the company’s wellbeing and regulatory agenda, overseeing consumer affairs.She will be partnering with Doug VanDeVelde, chief growth officer, to commercialize ESG. Prior to Kellogg, Ludmer oversaw the nutrition working group at Del Monte Foods.
Kellogg made the first set of appointments in August, announcing Gary Pilnick as CEO, Dave McKinstray as CFO, Sherry Brice-Williamson as chief supply chain officer, Doug VanDeVelde as chief growth officer, Bruce Brown as chief customer officer, and shannon bible as chief transformation officer.
These individuals will be reporting to Pilnick. Ludmer, meanwhile, will have a dual reporting role to both Pilnick and VanDeVelde.
Pilnick said in a statement that 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.”
“I am delighted to announce the completion of the North America Cereal Co. leadership team with these world-class appointments,” he added. “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.”
These new leadership appointments will be finalized upon the completion of Kellogg’s separation of North America Cereal Co., which should happen by the end of 2023.
More About the Business Restructure
North America Cereal Co. will include a portfolio of leading brands such as Kellogg's, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Mini-Wheats, Special K, Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Kashi, and Bear Naked. The company is looking for greater strategic focus and operational flexibility by zoning in on North America Cereal Co. as a standalone company.
The company plans to make board appointments as part of the separation process. The remainder of the Kellogg Company Executive Committee will remain with Global Snacking Co.
- The Kellogg’s Company Separation Plan
1. Global Snacking Co.: A global snacking, international cereal and noodles company, and North America frozen breakfast, with recognizable brands and strong underlying growth momentum and profitability
2. North America Cereal Co.: A cereal company in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean with a portfolio of recognizable brands and opportunities for investment and profit growth
3. Plant Co.: A pure-play plant-based foods company, anchored by the MorningStar Farms brand, looking to capitalize on strong long-term category prospects by investing further in North America penetration and future international expansion.
- Kellogg intends to separate Plant Co. as an independent business through a tax-free spin-off, also exploring other alternatives, including a possible sale.
- The company stated the three businesses will be better positioned to:
- Focus on their distinct strategic priorities, with financial targets that best fit their own markets and opportunities
- Execute with increased agility and operational flexibility, enabling more focused allocation of capital and resources in a manner consistent with those strategic priorities
- Realize improved outlooks for profitable growth
- Shape distinctive corporate cultures, rooted in Kellogg Company's strong values, and rewarding career paths for employees of each company