Leadership

Steve Cahillane joined Kellanova, previously Kellogg Company, in October 2017 as President
and Chief Executive Officer. He became Chairman of the Board in March 2018.

Prior to Kellogg, in 2014, Mr. Cahillane assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer at The Nature’s Bounty Co., the largest global pure-play manufacturer, marketer and specialty retailer of health and wellness products.

Prior to Nature’s Bounty, Mr. Cahillane spent seven years with The Coca-Cola Company, most recently as President of Coca-Cola Americas, the global beverage maker’s largest business with $25 billion in sales. Prior to Coca-Cola, Mr. Cahillane spent eight years with AB lnBev, the world’s largest brewing company, in various senior leadership roles including Chief Commercial Officer, in which he led commercial strategy, global marketing, sponsorships, innovation and research following the 2004 merger of lnterbrew and AmBev.

Mr. Cahillane serves on the Northwestern University Board of Trustees, The Consumer Goods Forum Board of Directors, the Smithsonian National Board, the Colgate-Palmolive Board of Directors and as co-trustee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust.

Mr. Cahillane holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University.

Nicolas Amaya serves as Senior Vice President and President, Kellanova North America, previously Kellogg Company, and is a member of Kellanova’s executive committee.

Mr. Amaya most recently served as President, Kellanova Latin America. He joined Kellogg in 2001 as a Marketing Intern for Eggo in the United States. Since then, he has held a variety of leadership positions in the U.S. and Latin America across the cereal, frozen and snacks businesses. Among his many contributions, Mr. Amaya led the complex and challenging regional integration of Pringles in 2012.

In April 2013, he was appointed General Manager, Snacks and Growth Platforms for Latin America, and in 2015, he stepped up to the role of Vice President and General Manager, Category Marketing and Innovation, Latin America. He was promoted to Vice President and General Manager for Mexico in 2016.

Prior to Kellogg, Mr. Amaya held various marketing roles at Unilever Andina in the personal care division.

Mr. Amaya is from Bogotá, Colombia. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de los Andes, and an MBA from Thunderbird, Garvin School of International Management.

Kris Bahner leads global Corporate Affairs – including Communications, Philanthropy, Sustainability and Government Relations – for Kellanova, previously Kellogg Company. She is a member of Kellanova’s executive committee leadership team.

Kellanova is committed to creating Better Days for four billion people by the end of 2030 through Kellanova’s Better Days Promise global strategy addressing the interconnected issues of wellbeing, food security and climate change. Ms. Bahner was the chief architect of this award winning platform.

Ms. Bahner has more than 30 years of Corporate Affairs experience within the food industry. She began her Kellogg career in 2006. Prior to joining, she held a variety of corporate affairs roles with Kraft Foods, and led public relations programs for food industry clients at both Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and Powers Agency.

Ms. Bahner served as the Executive Sponsor of the company’s Women of Kellogg business employee resource group for more than nine years, and remains an active advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion.

She is the President of Kellanova’s Fund Board of Trustees and President of Kellanova’s 25-Year Employees’ Fund, Inc.

Ms. Bahner serves on the boards of MiracleFeet, Sleeping Giant Capital, Battle Creek Unlimited, and the Miami University College of Arts and Science.

She was named as one of top 100 Women Leaders in Consumer Products in 2021.

She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and public relations from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Amit Banati has been Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Principal Financial Officer, Kellanova, previously Kellogg Company, since July 2019. In December 2022 he was named Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. He is a member of Kellanova’s executive committee.

Mr. Banati joined Kellogg in March 2012 as President, Asia Pacific, and his responsibilities were expanded to President, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa in July 2018.

Before joining Kellogg, Mr. Banati served in a variety of finance, general management and board roles at Kraft Foods, Cadbury Schweppes and Procter & Gamble. He has worked extensively across the Asia Pacific and Africa region.

At Kraft Foods he was President, North Asia and Asia Pacific Strategy.

Prior to that, Mr. Banati served as President, Pacific, for Cadbury Schweppes and Chairman of Cadbury Schweppes Australia. He was a member of the company’s executive committee. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer for Cadbury Schweppes Asia Pacific.

Mr. Banati serves on the board of Fortune Brands Innovations. He previously served on the boards of the Kellogg-Wilmar Joint Venture in China and the Kellogg-Tolaram Joint Venture in Nigeria.

He received a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Calcutta University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow.

Todd Haigh has been Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Kellanova – previously Kellogg Company – since 2024. He is a member of the executive committee.

Mr. Haigh joined Kellogg in 2005 as Vice President, Chief Counsel Global Transactions and Governance, specializing in commercial transactions, corporate governance, securities, and corporate development transactions for 15 years. 

Mr. Haigh’s vision is to create a legally sound and ethically compliant Kellanova, fostering growth through meticulous legal oversight and governance.

Previously, Mr. Haigh was a corporate partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he practiced in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate and securities law with an emphasis on structuring, negotiating and documenting complex business transactions

Mr. Haigh received a bachelor’s degree in accounting, an MA in accounting and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Iowa.

Melissa Howell has been Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Kellanova, previously Kellogg Company, since June 2016. She is a member of Kellanova’s executive committee.

Prior to joining Kellogg, Ms. Howell was Chief Human Resources Officer for Rockford, Michigan-based Wolverine since 2014. Prior to Wolverine, Ms. Howell spent 24 years with General Motors where she led a team of 2,800 Human Resources professionals worldwide, supporting a global business at one of the top automotive companies in the world, and also among the largest public corporations.

Ms. Howell joined General Motors as a Labor Relations Representative at its Ypsilanti, Michigan, assembly plant in 1990. Over the following years, Ms. Howell served in a series of key human resources leadership roles in Europe, Asia and U.S. leading teams on six continents across an array of functional areas. She was promoted to Executive Director of North American Human Resources in 2011 and subsequently promoted to Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources.

Ms. Howell received a Master of Arts degree in Industrial Relations from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree in Employee Relations from Michigan State University.

Ms. Howell serves on the Board of Directors of Autism Alliance of Michigan and is a member of the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations Advisory Board at Michigan State University. 

Charisse Hughes has been SVP and Chief Growth Officer at Kellanova – previously Kellogg Company – since May 2023. She is a member of the executive committee.

Ms. Hughes joined Kellogg in 2020 as Chief Marketing Officer and then served as Chief Brand & Advanced Analytics Officer.

She is responsible for driving the growth agenda for the company through leadership of Global Brands, Innovation and R&D, Commercial Advanced Analytics, Marketing Excellence, and Licensing & Cultural Initiatives.

Ms. Hughes’ vision is to create a future-ready Kellanova with a winning portfolio of leading, iconic global brands, characters, and innovations that inspire consumers to sit at our table. She is committed to creating personalized engagement and inclusive experiences enabled by deep data driven understanding and advanced analytics/machine learning.

Previously, Ms. Hughes was the Chief Marketing Officer for Pandora Americas. Her experience also includes marketing and brand leadership roles with The Estee Lauder Companies, Avon Products, Inc. and Sara Lee Corporation.

Ms. Hughes serves on the Board of Directors for Crocs, Inc., is a Board Advisor for Pixability and Prelude Growth Partners, and is Vice Chair of the Board for MMA Global, the only marketing trade association that brings together the full ecosystem of marketers, martech and media companies working collaboratively to architect the future of marketing.

She is a passionate advocate for ED&I and is an active member of Women of Kellanova+ and the African American Resource Groups.

Ms. Hughes received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Howard University.

Shumit Kapoor joined Kellanova – previously Kellogg Company – as Senior Vice President and President, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa in July 2020. He is a member of Kellanova’s executive committee.

Prior to Kellogg, Mr. Kapoor served in various leadership roles at Mars Inc. for nine years. Most recently, he was Regional President, Pet Nutrition, Asia Pacific with additional oversight of the confectionary and food business in Japan and New Zealand. He started his career at Mars as General Manager, South East Asia and India Mars Multisales, with oversight of the Pet Nutrition and Chocolate segments.

Prior to Mars, Mr. Kapoor was with Nokia and he started his career at Procter & Gamble.

He received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce.

Rodrigo Lance is the Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain for Kellanova, previously Kellogg Company. He is a member of Kellanova’s executive committee.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Lance was Senior Vice President, KNA Supply Chain. He previously served as Vice President, Supply Chain Europe and Vice President, Supply Chain Latin America. As a leader in the KEU and KLA role, he was instrumental in optimizing both Supply Chain organizations by ensuring a relentless focus on its mission to “buy, make and deliver,” and enabling the regions' business growth strategies.

Prior to his Supply Chain roles, Mr. Lance served as Vice President, Snacks Engineering beginning in 2011. Mr. Lance began his Kellogg Career in 1997 and served in various roles including Production Supervisor at the Queretaro, Mexico, plant. He also served as the Plant Manager in Guatemala; Linares, Mexico; and Columbus, Georgia, U.S.

Mr. Lance holds a Master of Business Administration and Engineering from Tecnologico de Monterrey. He also attended Michigan State University’s Kellogg Operations Management Program. 

David Lawlor has been Senior Vice President and President, Kellanova Europe, previously Kellogg Company, since July 2018. He is a member of Kellanova’s executive committee.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Lawlor served as Vice President, European Cereal.

Mr. Lawlor began his career at Kellogg in 1991, joining as a Sales Manager in its Dublin office. Following this, he held a number of senior roles, including running the company’s Middle Eastern business, setting up its Dubai office and helping to launch its joint venture in Turkey with domestic food company Ulker.

Mr. Lawlor then served as General Manager of Kellogg Russia for almost eight years and led the integration of United Bakers Group, a local biscuit and cracker manufacturer.

In August 2016, he was appointed Managing Director, UK/ROI where he refocused the company’s efforts to stabilize and grow its core cereal business.

Under Mr. Lawlor’s leadership, Kellogg has continued to play a critical role in tackling hunger by funding school breakfast clubs and food banks across its European region. He also championed our push to 50/50 gender representation in Europe, which was achieved 3 years ahead of our stated commitment.

He holds a degree in Politics and History from University College Dublin. In addition, he has attended bespoke academic programs at Thunderbird School of Global Management and Harvard Business School. 

Mr. Lawlor is also a board member of FDE (Food and Drink Europe and AIM (European Brands Association).

Victor Marroquin serves as Senior Vice President, Kellanova Latin America, previously Kellogg Company, and is a member of the Kellanova executive committee.

Mr. Marroquin most recently served as the VP and General Manager of Mexico. He joined Kellogg Central America in 1997 and has been in many Commercial roles in Customer Development, Marketing and Innovation supporting different Business Units across Latin America.

In 2000, he was appointed Global Accounts Manager for Central America and in 2002, as Costa Rica Divisional Manager. He was promoted in 2004 to Marketing Group Manager for Central America.

Mr. Marroquin became Marketing Manager in Mexico in 2005 and in 2007 he was appointed as Marketing and Sales Director for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands.

In 2012, he was promoted to Sales & Customer Development Director for Snacks Latin America and became a key member of the Pringles integration Team.

Mr. Marroquin received an Executive Coaching Certificate from CCI International in Mexico in 2013 and was promoted to General Manager for Ecuador and Peru in 2014 as part of the Andean Leadership Team.

He was promoted to General Manager Brazil, in January 2017, and has been VP and General Manager of Andean region since September 2018.

Mr. Marroquin is from Guatemala. He received bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the Universidad Francisco Marroquin and a Master of Business Administration from Universidad Francisco Marroquin. 

Lesley Salmon was appointed to Senior Vice President, Chief Digital & Information Officer, Kellanova, previously Kellogg Company, in February 2019. She is a member of Kellanova’s executive committee.

Ms. Salmon joined Kellogg in 2014. She served as the European CIO, with geographic coverage of all European countries, plus Russia, Egypt and UAE and had regional accountability for Information Technology, Global Business Services and the European Enterprise PMO. She played a key role in operational, tactical and strategic execution across all areas of the business, driving growth initiatives and delivering multi‐million-dollar savings.

Prior to Kellogg, Ms. Salmon had more than two decades of experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry.

She began her career with United Biscuits, spending 13 years working on major IT projects, moving through the ranks from Junior Business Analyst to IT Controller. Following that, Ms. Salmon moved to Premier Foods where she led the end‐to‐end SAP program and supported the integration of a major acquisition.

Ms. Salmon then moved across industries for five years, leading a major transformation of the IT function within Galaxy Optical, the largest Optical Manufacturer in the U.K.

Throughout her career, she has been a passionate leader and ally in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I). She believes in creating teams and a culture where everyone feels they belong; amplifying her voice to support the advancement of women in technology. Lesley is the Executive Sponsor of the K Pride and Allies Business Employee Resource Group (BERG) which advocates for equality for LGBTQ+ communities around the world.

Ms. Salmon resides in Wigan, a small town in the North West of England.