General Mills Adds GM Manufacturing Executive to Board

Executive vice president of Global Manufacturing at General Motors, Alicia S. Boler Davis, has been elected to the board of directors of General Mills, the Minneapolis-based food company announced Tuesday. She was the first African-American woman to hold a plant manager position at a GM vehicle manufacturing facility.

Overseeing 180,000 employees across 30 countries in her present role at GM, Davis is also a member of the GM Executive Leadership Teal, the Opel Supervisory Board, and the GM Korea board of directors.

“Alicia brings to our board a strong technical background in manufacturing, engineering, and quality, coupled with a passion for putting the consumer first to drive results in a highly competitive industry,” said General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Powell in a statement. “Her insights and experience will be invaluable as we continue to expand the impact of our global Consumer First strategy and deliver sustainable, long-term growth, and returns for General Mills shareholders”

Davis has served in a variety of manufacturing, engineering, and product development roles at GM, according to General Mills’ release, filling the role of senior vice president of Global Connected Customer Experience at the automotive company before a promotion to vice president of global manufacturing. Previous to her executive leadership positions, Davis worked as a plant manager at several locations in the U.S. She has also worked in engineering capacities with PepsiCo Inc. and The Upjohn Company.

General Mills has added seven new independent directors in the past two years – drawing on professionals from a variety of industries and backgrounds.

“Our board and management team are focused on delivering market-leading growth, margin expansion and top-tier shareholders returns,” said Powell. “Our board appointments reflect our continued commitment to achieving high levels of performance as we execute our strategic plan and deliver long-term shareholder value.”

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