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A LETTER FROM
YOUR INDEPENDENT LEAD DIRECTOR
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Dear Fellow Shareholders:
This is my first letter to you as Independent Lead Director of General Mills, having been appointed by the Board in September 2019. I want to begin by
recognizing Kerry Clark, who preceded me, for his many years of leadership and significant contributions to building the effective, engaged and collaborative board we have today. I am honored to have been appointed to this role by my fellow
directors, and my goal is to work on your behalf, with the board and management team, to build on our legacy of creating long-term shareholder value, enabled by strong corporate governance and independent board oversight. As our 2020 Annual Meeting
approaches, I want to share some highlights from the boards priorities and work during the past year.
The Board has Been Actively
Involved in Overseeing the Companys Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
While much of the
boards work reflects a consistent set of near and long-term priorities, our focus at the end of fiscal 2020 shifted to addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has made this an
especially challenging year for the employees, customers, consumers, suppliers and communities around the world who play vital roles in our success. During this time, the board has been actively engaged with management as to the companys
response to the pandemic, including ensuring employee safety, maintaining a strong supply chain to meet the demands of consumers and customers, securing access to capital and adapting near and long-term business plans to reflect the dynamic
environment. The resiliency and agility demonstrated by the companys dedicated employees around the world in responding to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic are a testament to the
companys strong culture focused on our mission of making food the world loves.
Strong Board Skills, Diversity, Refreshment and Culture
are Hallmarks of the Board.
Building and sustaining a highly skilled, diverse and independent board and effectively leveraging those talents is
essential to the long-term success of our company. Our board succession work in recent years continues a long-standing practice of maintaining a board that is diverse across multiple dimensions and reflects our enduring belief that the board is made
stronger by its diversity. New directors are thoughtfully and purposefully selected by the board for their deep and relevant skill sets and their ability to guide our strategy, provide valuable experience and insights and effectively represent the
interests of our shareholders. This year we were pleased to add Jo Ann Jenkins to the board. Ms. Jenkins brings strong marketing, innovation, public policy and governance experience to the board. We have a capable, engaged and thoughtful group
of directors who are focused on long-term value creation for shareholders, and I encourage you to vote for each of the boards nominees on this years ballot.
As the Independent Lead Director, I plan to continue building a board culture that encourages substantive and valuable dialogue between the board and
management on topics that are paramount to the company. To that end, I am focused on ensuring the boards agendas and discussions are appropriately tailored, that the board has sufficient time and opportunity to deliberate and discuss critical
matters, with and without management present, and that we maintain a system of board practices that allow us to function effectively and exercise our independent judgement to deliver value to the company and its shareholders.
Oversight of the Companys Long-Term Strategy Remains the Boards Primary Focus.
While the companys response to the COVID-19 pandemic has required our immediate attention, the boards
number one priority continues to be guiding the development and execution of the companys long-term strategy. Recognizing the rapid pace of change in the markets where the company competes around the world, the board remains focused on
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GENERAL MILLS, INC. - Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement
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