General Mills Chairman and CEO Ken Powell Nominated for CRO Magazine’s 2009 Responsible CEO of the Year Awards

Corporate Responsibility Officer (CRO) Magazine announced that General Mills Chairman and CEO Ken Powell has been nominated for the magazine’s annual Responsible CEO of the Year Awards.

“Nominations for CRO Magazine’s 2009 Responsible CEO of the Year Award only go to leaders who have taken large risks to set performance standards in environment, social and corporate governance,” said Jay Whitehead, publisher of CRO Magazine.

Powell is a nominee in the “Large-Cap Company CEOs” category, along with Sam Palmisano of IBM and John Hess of the Hess Corporation.

Under Powell’s leadership, General Mills has made significant progress against its goal to become one of the most socially responsible consumer food companies in the world. Learn more about General Mills’ progress in the company’s 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

CRO Magazine’s 2009 Responsible CEO of the Year Award is the third annual celebration of responsible leaders, as selected by the editorial team at CRO Magazine. Awards will be announced and presented Oct. 6, 2009 in Chicago.

General Mills was recognized for its CSR efforts on several reputable awards lists in 2009, including: CRO’s 2009 list of “100 Best Corporate Citizens;“ Ethisphere magazine’s “World’s Most Ethical Companies” list; the Reputation Institute’s ”World’s Most Reputable Companies” list; and a top ten ranking on Harris Interactive’s national corporate reputation survey.

Visit CRO’s Web site for more information on the award and nominees.

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, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A., General Mills had fiscal 2009 global net sales of US$15.9 billion, including the company’s $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales.