Kendall J. Powell

Biography

 Ken Powell is chairman of General Mills, which as one of the world's largest food companies, produces and markets leading brands such as Cheerios, Häagen-Dazs, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Green Giant, Nature Valley and Yoplait. Powell joined General Mills in 1979 and progressed through various positions in the company. In 1990, Powell helped launch Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) – the company’s joint venture with Nestlé based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Pop In 1996, he returned to the United States to become president of Yoplait USA, and was named president of the General Mills Big G cereal division in 1997. Powell returned to Switzerland in 1999 to become chief executive officer of CPW, helping grow the joint venture into what is now a $2 billion global cereal business marketing in more than 130 countries. In 2006, Powell was elected president and chief operating officer of General Mills with overall global operating responsibility for the company. He was elected chief executive officer in September 2007 and chairman in May 2008. Powell stepped down from his CEO role on June 1, 2017. General Mills is regularly listed among the world’s leading companies. In 2017, for example, a Harris poll ranked General Mills as one of the top 20 U.S. companies.

Research Interest

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