General Mills today announced that its board of directors has elected Jeffrey L. Harmening Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective June 1, 2017. Harmening, age 50, is a 23-year veteran of the company and succeeds Ken Powell, who has served as General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since 2007. The board also elected Harmening to the General Mills Board of Directors. Harmening has served as President and Chief Operating Officer since July 1, 2016. (PRNewsfoto/General Mills)

Jeff Harmening

CEO

General Mills

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Within weeks of taking over as General Mills’ chief executive in June, Jeff Harmening laid out a five-point plan that he believes will turn around the Golden Valley-based food company, which, for the two years before his promotion, had failed to improve year-over-year sales. A top priority of Harmening’s turnaround plan is better pricing of the company’s products. “We have to have our pricing in the zone, because a lot of media spending—if your pricing isn’t in the right place—it really doesn’t work,” he told analysts last summer. By focusing more on innovation, building e-commerce capabilities and re-shaping its yogurt business, Harmening believes General Mills could experience a global resurgence.