MINNEAPOLIS – David W. MacLennan, currently Cargill’s president and chief operating officer, has been elected chief executive officer, effective Dec. 1, by the company’s board of directors. He will succeed Gregory R. Page, who will serve as executive chairman.

Mr. MacLennan will retain the title of president and continue as director of the company. The transition is the result of the company’s ongoing succession planning with the board.

The board also elected Emery N. Koenig as vice chairman of the company. He will continue to serve as Cargill’s chief risk officer.

Mr. MacLennan joined Cargill in 1991. He held various leadership positions within the financial, risk management, energy and animal protein businesses in the United States, London and Geneva. In 2008 he was named Cargill’s chief financial officer and was elected to the board of directors.

Mr. MacLennan became president and c.o.o. in 2011. He has a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., and a master of business administration from the University of Chicago. In addition to the Cargill board, he serves on the board of directors of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and the Greater Minneapolis St. Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership.

“I am honored by the trust the board has placed in me and feel privileged to have the opportunity to follow Greg Page, a truly outstanding leader and c.e.o.,” Mr. MacLennan said. “Under Greg’s leadership, Cargill has seen remarkable growth across many dimensions, focused our operations on innovation and value-added products, helped our customers thrive and better positioned the company to help feed the world sustainably for years to come.”

Mr. Page joined Cargill in 1974. He was elected to the board of directors in 2000 and served as president from 2000 to 2011. He was elected c.e.o. in 2007 and chairman later in the same year.

“Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work closely with David, especially in his roles as chief financial officer and chief operating officer, and I have been impressed with his leadership, his vision, and the breadth and depth of his knowledge and experience,” Mr. Page said of Mr. MacLennan.