High-ranking General Mills executive named CEO of Michigan building products firm

A veteran General Mills senior executive, Jon Nudi, will leave the food giant to run a Michigan-based building products manufacturer.

General Mills announced last Wednesday that Nudi will retire on June 30. On Thursday, Masco Corp. announced Nudi will start as its new CEO on July 7. Nudi has served on Masco’s board of directors since June 2023.

Nudi, 54, started at the Golden Valley-based global food company in 1993 as a sales representative in central Pennsylvania. He became group president of the company’s North American pet products and food services businesses, as well as its international division.

“Over the course of his 32 years, Jon embodied what it means to be a dedicated, diligent visionary leader,” Jeff Harmening, General Mills’ CEO said in a statement.

Nudi, in the same statement, said he was “incredibly thankful for the opportunities the company provided.”

As one of General Mills’ top five executives Nudi could have been in the mix to eventually succeed Harmening, 58, who has been the company’s CEO since June 2017.

Nudi will take over as Masco’s CEO upon the retirement of its current leader. Based in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, Masco’s product line includes Delta-branded faucets, Behr paint and Liberty hardware.

Publicly traded Masco had $7.8 billion in sales last year. General Mills generated nearly $20 billion in sales during its most recent fiscal year, 37% of which came from the three divisions run by Nudi.

Nudi rose in the ranks at General Mills over the years and in 2017 was named group president for North American retail, the company’s largest business segment, constituting over 60% of its revenue.

In December 2023, General Mills shook up its executive team, moving Nudi from North American retail to leadership of the pet food and international businesses. Nudi added the food service division to his oversight in February 2024 after its leader retired.

General Mills said Liz Mascolo will lead its North American pet products business and join its senior leadership team on March 16. She had been North American president for Blue Buffalo, a General Mills pet food brand.

After several years of pandemic-boosted growth when consumers stockpiled pantry staples and ate more at home, General Mills has signaled it expects more modest growth in the years ahead.