NAFE magazine ranks company first at advancing women to leadership roles

Today General Mills was named to the Top 10 of the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE)’s annual Top 50 Companies and 10 Nonprofits for Executive Women list.  According to NAFE, General Mills ranks the highest of all companies when it comes to advancing female employees. 

The annual list recognizes organizations that not only encourage women’s advancement but also have the number of women leaders to back up the commitment.

“We value the list as an endorsement of our success at advancing and supporting talented women,” said Ken Charles, vice president of global diversity and inclusion at General Mills. “General Mills also takes great pride in the fact that the majority of our U.S. Retail Businesses are led by women.”

“General Mills continues to outshine other major companies in the number of women running its key divisions,” said Dr. Betty Spence, NAFE president. “Plus they offer employees much more than a job, providing wellness programs, flexibility, and superb leadership development opportunities.”

To determine the Top 50 Companies for Executive Women, NAFE assesses corporate programs and policies dedicated to advancing women and then measures results -- examining the number of women in each company overall, in senior management, and on its board of directors. To be considered for the NAFE Top 50 Companies and 10 Nonprofits for Executive Women, companies must have a minimum of two women on their board of directors as well as at least 500 employees in the U.S.

2011 marks the eighth year in a row that General Mills has been named a NAFE Top Company.

Visit NAFE.com to read a profile on General Mills’ accomplishments as well as those of the other winning companies.
           

About NAFE
The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), founded in 1972, serves 20,000 members nationwide with networking, tools and solutions to strengthen and grow their careers and businesses. NAFE magazine publishes the annual Top Companies issue and the annual Women of Excellence issue. NAFE.com provides up-to-date information, community for women in business and access to member benefits. NAFE is a division of Working Mother Media and Bonnier Corporation. 

About General Mills
One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, Yoplait, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2010 global net sales of US$16 billion, including the company’s $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales.

For more information, contact:

Maerenn Jepsen
General Mills
763-764-6364