Cargill Chief Financial Officer Jamie Miller steps down

Cargill Inc. said Monday its chief financial officer, Jamie Miller, is resigning after a year and a half on the job to take a role at another company.

Joanne Knight, Cargill's vice president of finance for its agriculture supply chain, will step in as acting CFO of the Minnetonka-based firm.

It's the second major executive transition for Cargill in the opening days of 2023. Brian Sikes became CEO on Jan. 1, taking over from Dave MacLennan who stepped down after nearly a decade leading the agribusiness giant. MacLennan now serves as executive chairman of the board.

Miller, who was previously CFO of General Electric Co., joined Cargill in June 2021. She became the first woman to lead Cargill's finances in the company's 157 years. She was also named Cargill's head of corporate strategy in April 2022.

Cargill said Miller's new company is expected to make an announcement about her new role later this week.

Knight will hold the role of acting CFO while the company performs a formal internal and external assessment of talent.

"Joanne is highly regarded by the board and executive team for her strong track record of leadership and operating results and is well-equipped to take the role of acting CFO," Sikes said in a statement. "She will step into the role from a position of strength as a seasoned finance leader who has built her career on delivering results through dynamic market cycles."

Cargill, the nation's largest privately held company, reported record annual revenue of $165 billion for its most recent fiscal year.