Cargill has named Marcel Smits its new chief financial officer, effective April 15.

Smits, formerly the CEO of Sara Lee, replaces interim CFO David MacLennan, who is president and chief operating officer of Minnetonka-based Cargill. MacLennan took on the CFO duties when former CFO Sergio Rial left the firm in November.

Cargill said it chose Smits, 51, because of his "global experience in financial management and the food industry." Since becoming CEO of Sara Lee in early 2011, Smits, a native of the Netherlands, oversaw the restructuring of the firm into two companies, Hillshire Brands and D.E. Master Blenders 1753, an international coffee and tea firm.

In the mid-1980s and 1990s, Smits served in a variety of financial management positions for food and consumer goods giant Unilever, and then served as CFO for two publicly traded Dutch companies before joining Sara Lee as CFO in 2009.

Steve Alexander • 612-673-4553