Hewitt Associates Selects General Mills as a Top Company for Leaders
General Mills ranks within top 10 on Global Top Companies for Leaders list
09/19/2007
Hewitt Associates today named General Mills as a Global Top Company for Leaders, recognizing the company’s commitment to developing and retaining great leaders. General Mills ranks sixth compared with more than 550 companies around the world.
Sponsored by global human resources services company Hewitt Associates, in partnership with The RBL Group and FORTUNE magazine, the Global Top Companies for Leaders were selected and ranked based on criteria including leadership practices, company reputation, leadership culture, and values and business performance.
“Leadership development has long been a strategic priority at General Mills,” said Mike Peel, senior vice president of human resources and corporate services. “To win in our increasingly more global and more competitive markets, we know that we must have great leaders working in a championship culture, which enables them to achieve great results.”
General Mills invests in staffing senates, a cross-boundary movement council and individual development plans to grow talent among emerging leaders. The company also strongly encourages community involvement as a way to develop leaders and make a positive difference in the community.
“At General Mills, more than 80 percent of positions above entry level are filled from within the company,” said Peel. “This requires very strong university recruiting and leadership development processes, as well as the mentality throughout the company that a central part of each manager’s job is people development.”
When comparing the Global Top Companies with more than 550 other companies around the world, Hewitt reported that it found one overarching characteristic that set companies in this list apart from the rest – Global Top Companies make leadership a critical part of the company’s organizational fabric. Specifically, the study found that leadership practices at Global Top Companies are an inherent part of the culture, and that developing future leaders is simply a way of operating that must be intertwined with running the business.
“Hewitt would like to congratulate General Mills as being named one of the Top Global Companies for Leaders,” said Bob Gandossy, principal and global practice leader of Hewitt’s Consulting business. “Through Hewitt’s research, it is evident that Global Top Companies such as General Mills have cultures that cultivate and nurture their talent, and a reputation for doing it well. In an increasingly complex and global marketplace, these characteristics differentiate successful businesses from unsuccessful ones.”
About the Global Top Companies for Leaders Survey
The Companies for Leaders Study is based on approximately 550 global organizations with an average employee size of 27,000. Almost 70 percent of the participating companies had revenues of $500 million or more. Hewitt, The RBL Group and FORTUNE used a three-step screening process to identify the finalist companies. This included assessing survey responses, conducting in-depth interviews and analyzing financial performance in relation to industry. This information was then provided to a panel of expert judges in each region to select and rank a 2007 Top Companies for Leaders list in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America. A separate judging panel, composed of one representative from each regional panel, considered all regional Top Companies to select and rank a Global Top Companies for Leaders list.
About General Mills
General Mills, with annual net sales of $13.4 billion, is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Based in Minneapolis, Minn., General Mills’ mission is to innovate to make people’s lives healthier, easier and richer around the world – Nourishing Lives™. Its global brand portfolio includes Big G cereals, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Old El Paso and more. It has more than 100 U.S. consumer brands, more than 30 of which generate annual retail sales in excess of $100 million. General Mills also is a leading supplier of baking and other food products to the foodservice and commercial baking industries.
For More Information, Contact:
Heidi Geller
General Mills
763.764.6364
