Effective January 1, 2026, Cordell Hardy will serve as Vice President, North America R&D within Cargill’s Food Enterprise, leading customer-facing technical application and sensory specialists across the region.
Previously, Cordell was Vice President, Core R&D, where he directed the organization responsible for foundational science and technical capabilities critical to Cargill’s long-term growth.
Before joining Cargill, Cordell spent 20 years at 3M Company, most recently as Senior Vice President, Corporate R&D Operations. In that role, he led a global organization providing technical infrastructure, product stewardship, pilot processing, analytical laboratories, digital content, and collaboration support for more than $10 billion in annual sales. Earlier leadership roles spanned product development, application engineering, quality/regulatory, and product continuity functions across 70+ countries.
Cordell has served on several corporate and nonprofit boards, contributing to strong governance and strategic results. As a director for CyberOptics, Inc., he helped oversee its acquisition by Nordson for $416 million—a 45% premium over the trailing stock price. As Chairman of Minnesota Community Care, the state’s largest federally qualified health center, he partnered with leadership to achieve significant profitability improvements and organizational renewal.
He holds BS and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from Florida A&M University (1998) and the University of Minnesota (2003). Cordell and his wife, Amelia, have four children.