Siri Marshall
General Counsel
General Mills is one of the world’s premier food companies, whose beloved brands include Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, and Wheaties. General Mills participates in several joint ventures, such as Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), a 50-50 joint venture with Nestlé that markets cereals in more than 130 countries around the world; 8th Continent, a joint venture with DuPont Company that markets soymilk throughout the United States; and four international Häagen-Dazs joint ventures, the largest of which is in Japan.
(L to R): Veta T. Richardson of MCCA; Siri Marshall of General Mills; and Hinton Lucas of DuPont Company
“Diversity is not only the ‘right thing to do,’ it is the smart thing to do,” says Senior Vice President and General Counsel Siri Marshall. “Innovation drives General Mills’ businesses, and we strongly believe that a diverse team of people will ‘out-innovate’ a homogenous team every time. In the legal area as well, we need diverse experience and perspectives to ensure we find the best solutions and make the wisest judgments. General Mills is proud to be a true advocate of diversity.” Of General Mills’ 34 attorneys, 20 percent are minorities and 44 percent are women, which includes two of the three direct reports to the general counsel.
The law department has embraced the company’s commitment to inclusiveness. Diversity and inclusion goals are part of the senior law department managers’ annual objectives. All lawyers have individual development plans and leadership opportunities. The department vigorously pursues minority suppliers and, through May 2006, it was exceeding corporate goals for minority vendor spending. A signatory to the Call to Action, General Mills holds preferred majority firms accountable for their diversity efforts.
The law department is an active member and strong supporter of the Twin Cities Diversity in Practice group, a unique collaboration between law firms and corporations that promotes the Twin Cities as a good place for lawyers of color to live and grow professionally. Marshall sits on the board.
Seven diversity networks, and a host of satellite groups, exist within General Mills. The networks not only serve as a voice for their communities by addressing issues and circulating opportunities, but they have a primary role to provide their members with positive forums for development and with support systems for networking and information sharing.
General Mills has received numerous awards for its commitment to diversity. It was named one of the “Top 30 Companies for Executive Women” by the National Association for Female Executives in 2004, 2005, and 2006. DiversityInc. magazine named General Mills one of its “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” in 2004 and 2005. It was among the top 100 organizations named by Working Mother magazine to its list of “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” for the tenth straight year. The company has been honored in the top 10 twice. Working Mother magazine has named General Mills to its list of “Top Companies for Multicultural Women” for the third consecutive year. General Mills was also selected as one of the “50 Best Companies for Latinas,” for the fifth straight year by LatinaStyle magazine.
From the November/December 2006 issue of Diversity & The Bar®