How to Get Women into P&L
“When someone says, ‘We’ve just promoted a woman to an officer position,’ I always ask, ‘Is it a support role or an operating role? You only get half a point for a functional role.’ Women need support to make that leap over to the operational side and be positioned to become CEO.”
So said Paulett Eberhart, ex-CEO, Invensys Process Systems, at a recent CEO roundtable discussion (Chief Executive Online, November-December 2008).
Eberhart raised a critical issue which companies have to tackle in order to position women for the top job.
Case study: General Mills
One woman on the executive committee of GM compared to ten men
General Mills was cited by the US organisation, the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), as a company that is successfully developing women in P&L positions. Currently, NAFE states, women represent one third of P&L corporate executives at the company, and in 2008, women made up 54% of participants in the company’s leadership training at the GM Institute.
Kim Nelson, President of Snacks Unlimited at General Mills, says she benefitted from the company’s “People and Organisational Review”, a robust individual development planning programme.
She told NAFE: “Every year as an operator in a division, I go through my team with the COO and human resources lead VP, flagging high potentials down to assistant marketing manager, talking about strengths and weaknesses and how we’re developing the talent. Then it’s my job to craft a plan for the person. My peers are always talking about the jobs coming up, and we figure out a good fit. Matching the talent is deep in the DNA of the company.”
Half of P&L at GM run by women
Nelson, who is responsible for a billion dollar business in snacks including Nature Valley Granola Bars, Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks, and Chex Mix, benefitted from what she says is the company’s unique willingness to develop women and take risks on them.
According to NAFE, women run nearly half of the P&L businesses at General Mills. Nelson said, “The company took risks on me and didn’t consider them risks. You have all of these women just being themselves and running businesses. People are looking beyond style to results.”
But just one woman on the executive committee…and not a line role
Currently, however, there is only one woman on the executive committee compared to ten men. Christina L. Shea is Senior Vice President, External Relations and President, General Mills Community Action and Foundation. As such, Shea has a support role rather than a line one. For example, she oversees Corporate Communications, Government Relations and General Mills’ Community Action initiatives.
But with a large proportion of women in P&L responsibilities, this may improve the ratio of women on the executive committee in the future.
Kim Nelson in a minute
Current: Senior Vice President; General Mills Snacks Unlimited Division.
2000: Corporate officer, General Mills
Previous responsibilities at GM: leadership roles on a variety of brands including Hamburger Helper, Old El Paso, Cheerios, Wheaties, Yoplait, Nature Valley, and Chex Mix.
1988: MBA from Columbia University
1984: B.S. in International Relations from Georgetown University in 1984.
Other:
- Founding member of the Black Champions Network and the Women in Marketing Network,
- Chair of the Minneapolis YWCA board.
- Serves on the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Board.
- Member of the Executive Leadership Council and the National Executive Women Network.
