MINNEAPOLIS – The board of directors at Cargill have tapped David MacLennan to be the company's next CEO, Cargill reported Sept. 11. MacLennan, who is currently serving as president and COO of Cargill, succeeds Greg Page who, at the age of 62, will retire as CEO but continue serving as executive chairman.

"I am honored by the trust the board has placed in me and feel privileged to have the opportunity to follow Greg Page, a truly outstanding leader and CEO," MacLennan said. "Under Greg's leadership, Cargill has seen remarkable growth across many dimensions, focused our operations on innovation and value-added products, helped our customers thrive and better positioned the company to help feed the world sustainably for years to come."

MacLennan has held various leadership positions within Cargill since joining the company in 1991. He was elected Cargill's president and COO in 2011. He became Cargill's CFO in 2008, and was elected to the company's board of directors.

Before his start at Cargill, MacLennan held a senior vice president position with LIT America in Chicago and was president of Fixed Income Capital Markets at US Bancorp Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis. He has a bachelor's degree from Amherst College and a master of business administration from the Univ. of Chicago.

Page became CEO of Cargill in 2007 and chairman later that same year, according to the company. He was elected to the Cargill board of directors in 2000 and served as president of the company from 2000-2011. Page joined Cargill in 1974 as a trainee in its feed division and has held various leadership positions in the company's businesses in Asia and North America.

As executive chairman, Page will continue to lead the board of directors, Cargill said. He will act as a representative of the company in a variety of forums and will be available as a resource to Cargill.

"Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work closely with David, especially in his roles as chief financial officer and chief operating officer, and I have been impressed with his leadership, his vision, and the breadth and depth of his knowledge and experience," Page said. "This is a dynamic and diverse global company. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and have the highest confidence in David to deliver on that promise."

Cargill's board of directors also elected Emery N. Koenig as a vice chairman of the company. He will keep his position as Cargill's chief risk officer.