Mike Robach will retire from Cargill in August.
Mike Robach
MINNEAPOLIS – Cargill announced May 24 that Mike Robach, global vice president of Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory (FSQR), will be retiring on Aug. 1. Robach joined Cargill in 2004. Sean Leighton, who has served as a food safety and quality leader at Cargill since 2017, will assume Robach’s role as global vice president after the retirement.

Following his retirement, Robach will continue his involvement with Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) as Chairman of the Board through 2020.


During his 15-year tenure at Cargill, Robach lead the company’s corporate food safety and regulatory affairs programs and has increased the department’s scope to include animal health and quality assurance. In addition to his involvement with GFSI, he was a founding member of Safe Supply of Affordable Food Everywhere (SSAFE). He also worked closely with the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding food safety policy, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HAACP), and regulatory reform based on science.

Sean Leighton, Cargill
Sean Leighton
Leighton began his career with The Pillsbury Company, followed by quality assurance and microbiology leadership roles with Land O’ Lakes Dairy. Leighton then joined The Coca-Cola Company. Prior to joining Cargill in 2017, Leighton served as Coca-Cola’s vice president of Quality Assurance, Safety and Environmental Sustainability.

Leighton earned his bachelor’s degree in Bacteriology from the Univ. of Wisconsin, and has a master’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition from the Univ. of Minnesota and a Master’s of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in Atlanta.