- The issues of today require sustainability teams to work faster and differently to not only safeguard the planet, but their businesses. We need to transform how we operate. But how do we get there?
- Examine how convening a robust ecosystem of internal stakeholders to drive alignment, learning and action can accelerate impact. And, how this internal movement can also help invite others across the industry to collaborate to drive scale.
- Leveraging insights from General Mills’ ongoing enterprise transformation, Mary Jane will provide tangible ways to better integrate sustainability across the business, including:
- Architecting a new framework based on governance, alignment, operationalization and investment across the company
- Framing business and sustainability goals to reinforce shared objectives and foster collaboration
- Educating employees about the company’s sustainability ambitions and how their contributions support the business
- Empowering key business segments and functions to lead and champion sustainability goals
- Engaging stakeholders – from investors to employees and suppliers to customers– to forge powerful partnerships, emphasizing the transformative potential of shared knowledge and collaboration
Mary Jane Melendez
Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer
General Mills
Mary Jane Melendez is Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer for General Mills. Mary Jane leads the company’s efforts to build resilience for people, our planet and the business. She stewards the company’s global impact efforts, working closely with leaders across the organization to develop, coordinate and execute programs to achieve companywide environmental and social targets. Mary Jane is responsible for advancing collaboration and integration across the enterprise to drive change by promoting environmentally and socially responsible practices across the value chain, from farm to fork and beyond. Mary Jane recently received the Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership from the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota for her leadership in employing ethical approaches to solve business, community, and planetary challenges. Mary Jane earned both her MBA and bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She currently serves on the board of the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation as well as the Executive Committee of the Conference Board’s Sustainability Council.
