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Conagra Brands, Inc.

Packaged Foods and Consumer StaplesFounded 1919
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Conagra Brands: CEO History

4 leaders · 1974 to present

Who is the CEO of Conagra Brands?

John Brase is the CEO of Conagra Brands, in the role since 2026. The first chief executive was Charles "Mike" Harper, from 1974.

Current CEO
John Brase (since 2026)
First CEO
Charles "Mike" Harper (1974)
Leaders documented
4
Founded
1919
NameRoleFromToYears in role
John BrasePresident and Chief Executive Officer2026Present< 1
Sean ConnollyFormer President and CEO2015202611
Gary RodkinFormer CEO2005201510
Charles "Mike" HarperFormer Chairman and CEO1974199218
Who was CEO of Conagra Brands before John Brase?
Sean Connolly was CEO of Conagra Brands from 2015 to 2026, before John Brase took over in 2026.

Company Overview

Conagra Brands is a U.S. packaged food company headquartered at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. Its portfolio covers frozen meals and vegetables (Birds Eye, Marie Callender's, Banquet, Healthy Choice, Gardein), snacks (Slim Jim, Duke's, Orville Redenbacher's, Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, David seeds), and pantry staples (Hunt's, Duncan Hines, PAM, Vlasic, Swiss Miss, Snack Pack, Reddi-wip, Hebrew National). Once a sprawling agribusiness that also traded grain and processed meat, Conagra exited most commodity operations, spun off Lamb Weston in 2016, and became a pure branded-food company. It employed about 17,400 people as of May 31, 2026. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

John Brase

President and Chief Executive Officer

2026 – Present

0 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Brase aggressively pushed massive price hikes across the entire frozen portfolio during the severe inflation of 2022, successfully protecting margins but causing severe volume declines in legacy brands like Banquet.

Legacy

As Chief Operating Officer, he oversees the day-to-day massive supply chain operations, ensuring iconic brands like Slim Jim and Hunt's maintain absolute dominance on retail shelves.

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Sean Connolly

Former President and CEO

2015 – 2026

11 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Connolly aggressively undid Rodkin's mistakes, ruthlessly spinning off the private-label division (Lamb Weston) and orchestrating the massive $10.9 billion acquisition of Pinnacle Foods to dominate the frozen aisle.

Legacy

As CEO since 2015, he completely modernized Conagra's portfolio, successfully shedding its commodity meatpacking roots to focus entirely on highly branded, premium consumer packaged goods.

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Gary Rodkin

Former CEO

2005 – 2015

10 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Rodkin orchestrated the massive $4.95 billion acquisition of Ralcorp in 2013, attempting to dominate the private-label food market, which ultimately proved to be a catastrophic, margin-destroying mistake.

Legacy

Serving as CEO from 2005 to 2015, he struggled severely to integrate massive acquisitions and eventually faced fierce activist investor pressure that forced his retirement.

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Charles "Mike" Harper

Former Chairman and CEO

1974 – 1992

18 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Harper executed a massive, decades-long acquisition spree (buying over 100 companies), transforming Conagra from an obscure Nebraska flour miller into an absolute behemoth of American agribusiness.

Legacy

As the legendary CEO from 1974 to 1992, he famously saved the company from the brink of bankruptcy, aggressively diversifying into frozen foods (Banquet) and massive meatpacking operations.

Source →

Challenges & Strategic Context

Conagra's main challenges are falling volumes after several years of price increases, competition from cheaper private-label products, retailer bargaining power, cost inflation in beef, packaging, and logistics, tariffs on imported materials, debt that remains from the 2018 Pinnacle Foods deal, and possible long-term demand shifts linked to GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Fiscal 2026 included large non-cash goodwill and brand impairments, and fiscal 2027 guidance calls for organic sales to decline 1% to 3%.

Conagra Brands CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is Sean M. Connolly and what is his background prior to Conagra Brands?

Sean M. Connolly has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Conagra Brands since April 2015. Connolly holds a Bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to Conagra, he served as CEO of The Hillshire Brands Company, CEO of Sara Lee North American Retail, and President of Campbell Soup North America.

What major strategic accomplishments define Sean Connolly's tenure at Conagra?

Sean Connolly engineered a complete corporate transformation: relocating headquarters to Chicago, spinning off Lamb Weston into a multi-billion-dollar standalone company, executing the $10.9B acquisition of Pinnacle Foods, revitalizing Slim Jim and Healthy Choice, and repositioning Conagra as a premier frozen food and snacking leader.

Who was Gary M. Rodkin and what was his role as CEO from 2005 to 2015?

Gary M. Rodkin served as CEO of ConAgra Foods from 2005 to 2015. Rodkin reorganized ConAgra into a more unified consumer foods company, divested legacy commodity trading and agricultural units, and acquired Ralcorp Holdings in 2012 before retiring in 2015.

Who was Charles 'Mike' Harper and how did he build ConAgra into a food giant?

Charles 'Mike' Harper served as CEO from 1975 to 1992. Harper saved the company from near-bankruptcy in the mid-1970s through strict commodity trading controls and built ConAgra into one of America's largest food corporations through dozens of major acquisitions (including Banquet, Armour, and Beatrice).

Who serves as Chief Financial Officer of Conagra Brands?

David S. Marberger serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Conagra Brands, having joined in 2016. Marberger previously served as CFO of Tyson Foods' subsidiary Hillshire Brands and CFO of Godiva Chocolatier.

Who leads Conagra's supply chain and manufacturing operations?

Alejandro Echeverria serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, managing Conagra's procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and quality safety operations across dozens of North American production facilities.

How did Sean Connolly create the Healthy Choice brand story after Mike Harper's heart attack?

In 1988, after CEO Mike Harper suffered a heart attack, he challenged company food scientists to develop great-tasting, low-sodium, heart-healthy frozen meals, giving birth to Healthy Choice. Decades later, Sean Connolly modernized Healthy Choice into a billion-dollar brand by launching the Power Bowls and Cafe Steamers lines.

What governance practices characterize Conagra Brands' Board of Directors?

Conagra Brands is governed by an independent Board of Directors led by an independent Chairman (Richard H. Lenny, former Chairman and CEO of The Hershey Company), featuring fully independent board committees, strong executive compensation clawback policies, and active ESG oversight.

Who is the CEO of Conagra?

Sean Connolly serves as CEO. He was brought in to aggressively modernize the company, famously executing massive divestitures (selling off their private-label business) and aggressively acquiring modern, premium snack brands to appeal to younger consumers.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.