Whitney MacMillan, Former Cargill CEO, Passes Away

It is with a heavy heart that Deli Market News reports the passing of Whitney MacMillan, the last founding member to run Cargill and its former Chief Executive Officer.

Throughout his life, MacMillan spent 44 years with the company, which was founded by his great-grandfather W.W. Cargill. 20 of those years were spent at the helm as CEO. He retired as Chairman in 1995 and was the last of the MacMillan and Cargill families to serve as a senior executive.

As he helped expand the company across the globe, MacMillan worked to grow Cargill’s presence from 31 countries to 53. He led the company during rapid growth, which saw massive transformation to its portfolio. MacMillan moved executive leadership away from the family and added independent directors to Cargill’s board. He also created an employee stock-ownership plan.

MacMillan was born in 1929 to Cargill MacMillan and Pauline Whitney MacMillan. He earned a history degree from Yale University. He started with Cargill as a general trainee and rose through the ranks with positions in San Francisco, California; Minneapolis; and the Philippines.

Throughout his life, MacMillan served on numerous boards, including the International Peace Institute, the EastWest Institute, the Salzburg Global Seminar, and the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

He and his wife Betty founded the WEM Foundation, which supported dozens of organizations in Minnesota, Florida, and Africa. They included the Guthrie Theater, Smithsonian Institution, Mayo Clinic, Project for Pride in Living, and Westminster Presbyterian Church.

We here at Deli Market News extend our condolences to his family at this time.