Mary Jane Melendez - Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer at General Mills

Sustainable Nation

Mary Jane currently serves as Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer at General Mills. She has reshaped global sustainability and philanthropy strategies unlocking unique value for multiple stakeholders. She was instrumental in the development of an innovative governance structure, establishing a new global impact corporate function, and building a long-range investment/accountability strategy to drive business and planetary impact. She engages deeply with the investor community and provides strategic updates to the Board and C-Suite.

Mary Jane’s accomplishments have been featured in many publications including Forbes, Greenbiz and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She is an in-demand public speaker with global media experience. Her colleagues value her thought leadership, independent point of view and collaborative, values-driven leadership style. Committed to lending her expertise and leadership to support related professional and community organizations, she currently serves on the Executive Committee of The Conference Board’s Sustainability Council, WRI’s Corporate Consultative Group, and the Board of the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation.

Mary Jane Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss:

• General Mills’ key sustainability initiatives: Reducing GHG emissions, advancing regenerative agriculture, and recyclable/reusable packaging
• Strategies to engage with farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture
• Getting leadership buy in for SBTI goals
• The importance of partnerships with key stakeholders and peer companies
• Advice and recommendations for sustainability professionals

Mary Jane’s Final Five Questions Responses:

What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers?

Give yourself a little grace and space. This work, it's not a quarter, it's not a year, it's many years. You need to be prepared for the marathon, not the sprint. The days can be really hard, but they can be really rewarding. So grace and space for yourself is really important.

What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability?

I am most excited about the promising outcomes that regenerative agriculture is driving for the planet, for farm ecosystems, for communities, and for farmers, and what it's doing for nature. When I stand on a regenerative farm and I see these bugs and birds and so much life, it's really cup filling.

What is one book you'd recommend sustainability professionals read?

This is going to sound like a strange answer, but I would say The Alchemist, because there's something in there about the sustainability of the human soul that is really beautiful and worth reading.

What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in your work?

My favorite Go-to resources would be the Corporate Eco Forum. They have a plethora of research and information and latest emerging ESG rules and regulations, and also have created a really closely connected group of chief sustainability officers and sustainability professionals that I just have found invaluable in the time I've been in this role.

Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the work being done at General Mills?

For General Mills, they can visit www.generalmills.com, that's our company website. There you can also see a global impact and sustainability page that will take you to the great work that the company's doing in regenerative ag, our sustainability report, our governance structure. For me, you can check me out on LinkedIn, Mary Jane Melendez.