David W. MacLennan (born 1958/59) is an American businessman, the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of

Cargill Cargill, Incorporated is an American multinational food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill, it is the largest privately held c ...

from 2013 to 2023. MacLennan received a BA in English from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

, followed by an MBA in Finance from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. MacLennan was chairman and CEO of Cargill since 2013, when he succeeded Greg Page. Under MacLennan’s leadership, Cargill has faced numerous controversies and criticisms. In January 2023, he was succeeded as CEO by

Brian Sikes Brian Sikes is an American business executive, and the chairman and CEO of Cargill, an American multinational food company, and the largest privately held company in the US in terms of revenue. Education Sikes attended Texas Tech University ...

Criticism

In 2019, former U.S. Congressman Henry A. Waxman, in a report by

Mighty Earth The Center for International Policy (CIP) is a non-profit foreign policy research and advocacy think tank with offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City. It was founded in 1975 in response to the Vietnam War. The Center describes its missio ...

, called Cargill "the worst company in the world" and noted that it drives "the most important problems facing our world" (deforestation, pollution, climate change, exploitation) "at a scale that dwarfs their closest competitors."

Personal life

He is married to Kathleen MacLennan, and they have three children.

References

1950s births Living people Cargill people Amherst College alumni University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-CEO-stub