Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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Anil Harbaran

Minneapolis,MN

Summary

Results-driven supply chain professional with extensive experience in demand planning, forecasting, inventory optimization, and cross-functional project leadership across General Mills and related businesses. Proven track record of delivering measurable financial impact, including driving over $700M in waste reduction through strategic demand review processes and achieving above-target forecast accuracy across multiple high-volume product categories. Adept at leading process improvement initiatives, launching innovative products, and aligning demand signals across Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance. Skilled in ERP systems, SAP, AFO, and analytical tools with a strong foundation in continuous improvement, stakeholder collaboration, and operational excellence. Recognized for balancing strategic thinking with executional detail to drive value across global and domestic supply chains.

Overview

14
14
years of professional experience

Work History

Demand Planner - MBS OU Pillsbury

General Mills
09.2023 - Current
  • Led the Demand Review process for the $2B+ Pillsbury Business Unit, delivering over $700M in waster favorability versus the FY24 Spring Plan through strategic planning and execution.
  • Drove accountability and process excellence by ensuring team adherence to key deliverables and timelines, fostering a culture of ownership and execution across the demand planning cycle.
  • Partnered cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Statistical Forecasting, and Supply Chain to enhance forecast accuracy and drive profitability for General Mills’ highest-value business unit.
  • Spearheaded process improvements that boosted forecast accuracy to 84.2% in FY25—surpassing target benchmarks and contributing to improved operational efficiency.
  • Championed continuous improvement by evaluating existing forecasting processes, identifying optimization opportunities, and implementing new methodologies to streamline planning and reduce workload.

Demand Planner - MFOU Cereal & Dairy

General Mills
12.2022 - 09.2023
  • Owned the Demand Review process and forecast strategy for Club Cereal and Dairy, Walmart Dairy, and Small Format Cereal, ensuring alignment with business objectives across multiple key channels.
  • Built item-level forecasts by synthesizing sales data and consumer insights in collaboration with cross-functional partners, including Sales, Marketing, and Category Management.
  • Outperformed forecast accuracy targets with +3.3% for Club Cereal and +1.3% for Walmart Dairy, while driving continuous month-over-month accuracy improvements in Target/Small Format Cereal and Club Dairy.
  • Directed Demand Analysts on volume phasing adjustments to ensure accurate signal flow to Supply, minimizing order cuts, aged inventory, and waste.
  • Actively contributed to Innovation Planning Process (IPP) initiatives by dynamically adjusting forecasts and collaborating with stakeholders to enable successful new item launches.

Project Planner - MFOU Adult Dairy

General Mills
10.2021 - 12.2022
  • Managed Raw Material Write-Off (RMWO) budgets exceeding $1.4M across North America Retail (NAR) Dairy and North America Foodservice (NAF) Dairy portfolios in FY22 and FY23.
  • Prevented over $200M in potential write-offs through agile planning and proactive alignment with Brand, Plant, and ESC partners.
  • Led the end-to-end execution of Project Esperanza, transitioning 53 packaging components across 44 SKUs simultaneously, keeping write-offs below budgeted projections.
  • Oversaw successful implementation of seasonal and limited-time promotions—including Projects Swift, Chiquita Banana, and Back to School—across multiple Yoplait manufacturing platforms.
  • Delivered multiple high-impact product launches in NAR and NAF, including Project Mercury (Kool-Aid), Cobbler, Galapagos, Four Seasons, and a dairy-free parfait under Project Plants.
  • Navigated supplier disruptions for NAF 48ct Kid Cup SKUs, resolving cup and lid issues and maintaining uninterrupted production.

Customer Operations Specialist

General Mills
03.2020 - 10.2021
  • Managed end-to-end order fulfillment for 29 customers representing ~20 million cases annually, ensuring compliance with GMI policies, accurate pricing, promotional support, and logistics optimization.
  • Collaborated cross-functionally with Sales, Production, Transportation, Accounting, and Warehouse teams to consistently meet or exceed customer expectations.
  • Led both internal and customer-facing meetings to review inventory, production, and planning, leveraging SAP and AFO data to inform decisions aligned with customer and business objectives.
  • Improved truck utilization by 16% across four Inside Sales accounts, avoiding pricing tier increases and generating ~$38M in projected annual cost savings.
  • Built best-in-class collaboration with Wegmans, resulting in +6% truck utilization, +10% allocation utilization vs. national average, +9% on-time delivery improvement, and +3% increase in direct plant shipments.
  • Reduced short-lead orders by 37% through proactive adaptation to revised lead time policies, supporting smoother execution across the supply chain.

Medallion Technical Customer Service

General Mills
03.2016 - 03.2020
  • Served as Account Manager and Technical Customer Service Representative, building and maintaining strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external clients in support of analytical chemistry services.
  • Drove business innovation by leveraging Salesforce campaign data to track critical metrics, identify trends, and generate insights for future growth opportunities.
  • Acted as the primary liaison between Business Development and domestic/international analytical labs, ensuring seamless communication and execution of sales and service commitments.
  • Led project management for both domestic and international calibration programs for plant instrumentation and sensory evaluation, ensuring compliance and consistency across facilities.
  • Developed the General Mills Gluten Allergen Policy resource page, adopted across all plants and ESC sites as a key tool for policy adherence and regulatory compliance.
  • Collaborated effectively with global team members to deliver high-quality, timely analytical results that supported operational and customer needs.

Technologist - Various Labs

General Mills
09.2011 - 03.2016
  • Advised clients on nutritional testing and regulatory compliance, ensuring accurate and timely support aligned with industry standards.
  • Managed a broad range of AOAC analytical methods while reducing sample turnaround times, enhancing report quality, and strengthening quality systems in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025.
  • Conducted statistical analysis of retested samples in the Dietary Fibers lab, identifying process improvements that drove over $56M in cost savings and recovered 520+ labor hours.
  • Authored multiple Corrective Action Protocol (CAP) reports to investigate and resolve QC failures, helping prevent recurrence and strengthen lab compliance.
  • Supervised and trained over 30 contract lab personnel on routine analytical methods, ensuring consistent performance and adherence to standard operating procedures.

Education

Bachelor of Science - Chemistry

University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
01-2010

Skills

  • ERP & Planning Tools Proficiency
  • Forecasting & Data Analysis
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Continuous Improvement & Process Optimization

Timeline

Demand Planner - MBS OU Pillsbury

General Mills
09.2023 - Current

Demand Planner - MFOU Cereal & Dairy

General Mills
12.2022 - 09.2023

Project Planner - MFOU Adult Dairy

General Mills
10.2021 - 12.2022

Customer Operations Specialist

General Mills
03.2020 - 10.2021

Medallion Technical Customer Service

General Mills
03.2016 - 03.2020

Technologist - Various Labs

General Mills
09.2011 - 03.2016

Bachelor of Science - Chemistry

University of Minnesota

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