General Mills Earns Recognition from DiversityInc Magazine
General Mills is named to the magazine’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity list for the fourth time in five years
04/18/2008
General Mills has made DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity list for the fourth time in five years. The company ranks at No. 32 on the increasingly competitive list and earned recognition for strong work/life balance resources, mentoring programs, and employee networks.
“We’re honored to be recognized as a leader in corporate diversity” said Kelly Baker, vice president for Corporate Diversity. “General Mills’ success at creating an inclusive workplace directly impacts our ability to compete globally. We find that assembling, developing and listening to diverse teams leads to better innovation, insights and products.”
DiversityInc, which operates both a Web site and a monthly business magazine, calculates the annual list from a survey of 200 questions measuring four components: CEO commitment to diversity, human capital, corporate and organizational communications, and supplier diversity. A total of 352 companies participated in the survey this year, up 10 percent from 2007 and 100 percent from 2003.
“Top 50 companies have clarity of their absolute values of human dignity, demonstrating a global adherence to these core beliefs,” said Luke Visconti, partner and co-founder of DiversityInc. “These sustainable values drive margin.”
General Mills has adopted a strategic approach to employee diversity — to hire and retain female and minority talent across all functions through an inclusive work environment. It’s important to General Mills that employees are comfortable bringing 100 percent of themselves to work. As part of this effort, General Mills offers seven diversity employee networks, mentoring and co-mentoring programs, and a supportive environment for exchange and development of ideas.
To see the complete list of Top 50 winners, visit DiversityInc.com.
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.
About DiversityInc
With a monthly business magazine and a daily news web site, DiversityInc is the leading print and online news source covering corporate diversity. DiversityInc was launched in 1997. Please visit www.DiversityInc.com for more information.
For More Information, Contact:
Maerenn Ball
General Mills
763-764-6364
