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kens bio photo 220x220 - Kendall Powell

Kendall Powell

CEO, General Mills

Bio Current as of August 4, 2015

Ken Powell is chairman and chief executive officer of General Mills, one of the world’s largest food companies. General Mills produces and markets leading brands such as Cheerios, Häagen-Dazs, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Green Giant, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Annie’s and more. Ken joined General Mills in 1979 and progressed through a variety of positions in the company and in 1990 helped launch Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) ¬– the company’s joint venture with Nestlé based in Lausanne, Switzerland. He returned to the United States to become president of Yoplait USA in 1996, and was named president of the Big G cereal division in 1997. Ken returned to Switzerland in 1999 to become chief executive officer of CPW, helping grow the joint venture into a global cereal business marketing in more than 130 countries around the world. In 2006, Ken was elected president and chief operating officer of General Mills with overall global operating responsibility for the company. He was elected chief executive officer of General Mills in September 2007 and chairman in May 2008. Powell serves on the board of directors for General Mills, Medtronic, the Consumer Goods Forum, Greater MSP, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and the supervisory board of Cereal Partners Worldwide. He is a member of the Minnesota Business Partnership and the Business Roundtable. Ken earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Harvard in 1976 and his MBA from Stanford University in 1979.