Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes are two veteran American corporate leaders known for steering large public companies through major strategic changes. However, current corporate filings and official biographies do not identify a direct business partnership, shared board seat, family relationship, or employer connection between Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes.
Their strongest connection is professional rather than organizational. Both built careers around managing global companies, reshaping complicated business portfolios, overseeing major transactions, and moving from chief executive roles into broader corporate governance responsibilities.
Who Are Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes?
Steve Cahillane is the Chief Executive Officer and a director of The Kraft Heinz Company. He took over on January 1, 2026 after previously leading Kellogg Company and its successor Kellanova. Kraft Heinz’s latest corporate announcements in September 2026 continue to identify Cahillane as CEO.
Greg Hayes, formally Gregory J. Hayes, is the former chairman and CEO of United Technologies and former chairman and CEO of RTX Corporation. After leaving RTX’s executive leadership, he moved further into public-company board work. As of 2026, Hayes is Lead Independent Director of Phillips 66 and also serves on the board of Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD.
| Executive | Current or Recent Main Role | Best Known Former Leadership Role | Industry Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Cahillane | CEO and Director, Kraft Heinz | Chairman, President and CEO, Kellanova | Food, beverages, consumer packaged goods |
| Greg Hayes | Lead Independent Director, Phillips 66; BD director | Chairman and CEO, RTX and United Technologies | Aerospace, defense, industrials, finance |
| Main similarity | Corporate transformation and portfolio management | Major restructurings and transactions | Large global public companies |
What Is the Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes Connection?
There is no verified evidence in the major corporate records reviewed that Cahillane and Hayes have worked for the same company, sat on the same public-company board, jointly managed a transaction, or maintained a disclosed business partnership.
Their names make sense together because their careers have several striking structural similarities. Both have led mature multinational companies through periods when management had to decide which businesses belonged together, which operations should be separated, where capital should be invested, and how organizations should be positioned for their next stage.
Cahillane did this primarily in global consumer goods. Hayes did it in aerospace, defense and industrial businesses.
That distinction is important. Similar career profiles do not by themselves establish a personal or corporate relationship.
Steve Cahillane’s Career and Current Role
From Brewing and Coca-Cola to Kellogg
Cahillane’s executive career spans some of the world’s largest consumer brands. Before joining Kellogg, he held senior positions at Anheuser-Busch InBev and then spent several years at The Coca-Cola Company.
His Coca-Cola roles included President of Coca-Cola Enterprises Europe, President of Coca-Cola Enterprises North America, President and CEO of Coca-Cola Refreshments, and ultimately President of Coca-Cola Americas. Kraft Heinz’s official biography says Coca-Cola Americas represented approximately $25 billion in sales during his tenure.
He later became President and CEO of The Nature’s Bounty Co. before Kellogg appointed him CEO in October 2017. He became Kellogg’s chairman in 2018.
Transforming Kellogg Into Kellanova
One of Cahillane’s most consequential strategic decisions came at Kellogg.
In June 2022, Kellogg announced plans to separate parts of its portfolio. The eventual October 2023 transaction created WK Kellogg Co as an independent North American cereal company while the remaining global snacking, international cereal, noodles and frozen-food business became Kellanova.
Cahillane remained with Kellanova as Chairman, President and CEO.
The restructuring left Kellanova with brands including Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, RXBAR and international Kellogg’s cereal products. This shifted the company’s strategic center of gravity toward global snacking rather than the traditional U.S. cereal business historically associated with Kellogg.
The Mars Acquisition of Kellanova
Cahillane then led Kellanova through another major transaction.
Mars announced an agreement to acquire Kellanova in August 2024. After shareholder approval and regulatory clearances, Mars completed the acquisition on December 11, 2025.
The deal ended Kellanova’s existence as an independently traded public company and brought its brands into Mars Snacking.
Cahillane’s tenure ended with the acquisition, after which he moved almost immediately to Kraft Heinz.
Steve Cahillane at Kraft Heinz in 2026
Kraft Heinz announced Cahillane’s appointment on December 16, 2025, with his CEO term beginning January 1, 2026. He also joined the company’s board.
The appointment initially came while Kraft Heinz was planning to separate into two publicly traded businesses. Once Cahillane began reviewing the company, however, management changed its near-term priorities.
In February 2026, Kraft Heinz said it was pausing work related to the proposed separation so management could focus resources on returning the existing business to profitable growth. Its August 2026 Form 10-Q continued to describe work on the separation as paused.
By August, the company reported that Cahillane was increasing planned incremental investment for 2026 to approximately $700 million as management sought stronger brand performance and sustainable volume-led growth.
Kraft Heinz also announced that its shares would transfer to the New York Stock Exchange, beginning September 14, 2026, while retaining the KHC ticker. Cahillane described the move as part of the company’s broader transformation.
The company has scheduled an investor day for November 12, 2026 to discuss its longer-term strategy, financial outlook and milestones.
Greg Hayes’ Career at United Technologies and RTX
Rise Through United Technologies
Greg Hayes followed a very different industry path.
Hayes joined United Technologies Corporation through its 1999 acquisition of Sundstrand Corporation. His background was heavily financial, including senior accounting, finance, strategy and business-development responsibilities.
He became UTC’s Chief Financial Officer in 2008, CEO in 2014 and chairman in 2016. Hayes is a Purdue University economics graduate and a Certified Public Accountant.
Those financial and strategic credentials became particularly important as UTC began one of the most extensive portfolio restructurings undertaken by a major U.S. industrial company.
Reshaping United Technologies
During Hayes’ leadership, UTC sold Sikorsky Aircraft in 2015 and acquired Rockwell Collins in 2018.
The company then separated Carrier and Otis into independent companies in 2020. What remained of UTC’s aerospace operations, principally Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace, combined with Raytheon Company to create Raytheon Technologies, later renamed RTX.
Hayes became CEO of the combined company in April 2020 and was elected chairman in 2021.
This is one of the clearest parallels between Hayes and Cahillane. Both executives became closely associated with decisions about whether a diversified company’s businesses were better operated together or as separate organizations.
Greg Hayes’ Departure From RTX
Hayes transitioned from CEO to Executive Chairman of RTX in May 2024 as Christopher Calio became CEO.
RTX announced in February 2025 that Hayes would step down as Executive Chairman and leave the board before the company’s 2025 annual meeting. The transition became effective April 30, 2025. Hayes then served as a special adviser to the CEO through January 2, 2026.
This effectively ended his decades-long operating career within the UTC and RTX corporate structure.
What Is Greg Hayes Doing Now?
Hayes has shifted from running a corporation to overseeing companies as an independent director.
Phillips 66
Hayes joined the Phillips 66 board in July 2022.
On May 13, 2026, Phillips 66 appointed him Lead Independent Director. He also chairs the company’s Nominating and Governance Committee and serves on several other board committees.
Phillips 66’s current biography describes his experience in managing complex transformations, finance, strategy and public policy as important qualifications for the role.
Becton, Dickinson and Company
BD elected Hayes to its board in March 2025.
Its 2026 proxy statement identifies him as an independent director serving on the Audit Committee and Compensation and Human Capital Committee. BD specifically cites his experience with large businesses, strategic transformation, finance, international operations and transactions.
Also Read: Bill Ackman and Greg Hayes
How Their Leadership Careers Compare
Cahillane and Hayes come from different industries, yet several recurring themes appear in both careers.
1. Both Managed Complex Portfolio Changes
Cahillane oversaw the transformation of Kellogg into two businesses, WK Kellogg Co and Kellanova.
Hayes oversaw an even broader reshaping of United Technologies, including the Sikorsky divestiture, Rockwell Collins acquisition, Carrier and Otis separations, and merger with Raytheon.
The businesses were different, but the strategic challenge was similar: determine which assets belonged together and create corporate structures intended to make those assets more competitive.
2. Both Led Major Transactions
Cahillane was Kellanova CEO through its sale to Mars.
Hayes led UTC into the 2020 combination with Raytheon that created what is now RTX.
Neither transaction establishes a direct connection between the two executives. Instead, they illustrate why their names can appear in discussions involving veteran CEOs with extensive merger, acquisition and restructuring experience.
3. Both Have Significant Board Experience
Cahillane sits on the Kraft Heinz board as its CEO and has served on the Colgate-Palmolive board since 2023. Colgate said his global consumer-products background was an important reason for his election.
Hayes serves independently on the Phillips 66 and BD boards, with Phillips 66 elevating him to Lead Independent Director in 2026.
The difference is that Cahillane remains an active chief executive, while Hayes has moved largely into board governance.
Steve Cahillane vs. Greg Hayes: Key Differences
Their similarities should not obscure important differences.
Cahillane’s expertise is concentrated in consumer-facing businesses, especially food, beverages, snacks, nutrition and brand management. Companies such as Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Kellanova and Kraft Heinz depend heavily on consumer demand, pricing, retail distribution, marketing and brand relevance.
Hayes spent most of his career in highly technical industrial, aerospace and defense businesses. UTC and RTX operate in areas involving aircraft engines, aerospace systems, defense technologies, long manufacturing cycles, government customers and substantial regulatory oversight.
Their transformation strategies therefore emerged from very different commercial environments.
Are Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes Financially Connected?
There is no authoritative public evidence establishing a significant direct financial relationship between Cahillane and Hayes personally.
Both executives have had compensation and share ownership disclosed through SEC filings because of their public-company roles, but those disclosures should not be confused with independently verified estimates of personal net worth.
For example, Cahillane’s Kraft Heinz employment agreement provides an annual base salary of $1.4 million, in addition to incentive compensation governed by company plans.
For Hayes, current compensation is primarily connected to his board roles rather than an RTX executive salary. Phillips 66’s 2026 proxy reported $357,644 in total 2025 director compensation for Hayes, while BD reported $223,454 for his partial 2025 fiscal-year board service. Those figures represent company-reported compensation, not his overall income or personal wealth.
Online net-worth estimates for either executive should therefore be treated cautiously unless supported by comprehensive asset, liability and ownership information.
Why the Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes Comparison Matters
The useful connection between Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes is their experience with corporate transformation.
Hayes’ career shows one model of restructuring: divest businesses, separate major divisions, acquire complementary assets and eventually merge the remaining operation with another industry leader.
Cahillane’s recent career shows another sequence. He separated Kellogg’s North American cereal operation, led the remaining Kellanova business through an acquisition by Mars, and then became CEO of Kraft Heinz, where he paused another proposed separation while management concentrated on operating performance.
That makes their careers relevant to investors and business readers interested in conglomerate restructuring, portfolio strategy, M&A, CEO succession and board governance, even though no verified direct partnership between the two has been disclosed.
FAQ
Are Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes business partners?
No public corporate filing or official company record reviewed identifies Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes as business partners. They are separate executives whose careers are comparable because both have extensive experience managing large-company transformations.
Have Steve Cahillane and Greg Hayes worked together?
There is no verified record showing that they have worked for the same employer or jointly managed a company. Cahillane’s career has largely been in consumer goods, while Hayes spent most of his career at United Technologies and RTX.
What company does Steve Cahillane run now?
Steve Cahillane is CEO and a director of The Kraft Heinz Company. He began the role on January 1, 2026, and company announcements through September 2026 continue to identify him as CEO.
What is Greg Hayes doing now?
Greg Hayes is Lead Independent Director of Phillips 66 and also serves as an independent director of Becton, Dickinson and Company. He left RTX’s board and Executive Chairman position in April 2025 and completed his special-adviser period in early 2026.
Did Steve Cahillane lead the sale of Kellanova to Mars?
Cahillane was Chairman, President and CEO of Kellanova throughout the transaction process. Mars announced its agreement to acquire Kellanova in August 2024 and completed the acquisition on December 11, 2025.
What major corporate transformation did Greg Hayes lead?
Hayes led the restructuring of United Technologies that included selling Sikorsky, acquiring Rockwell Collins, spinning off Carrier and Otis, and combining UTC’s remaining aerospace businesses with Raytheon in 2020. The resulting company ultimately became RTX.
Also Read: Ramon Laguarta and Greg Hayes
