Ian Friendly has corporate oversight of Big G, Yoplait, Meals, Pillsbury U.S., Snacks and the Baking Products Division. Ian Friendly brings to his current executive position extensive experience in the cereal business both internationally and domestically where he once served as president of the Big G cereal division. This division is home to General Mills’ large U.S. cereal business, which has a portfolio of consumer favorites that include Cheerios, Lucky Charms and Wheaties. From 1994 to 1998, he served as vice president of CPW, where he led expansion throughout Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Friendly was named president of Yoplait-Colombo in 1998. In the four years under his leadership, the yogurt business achieved extraordinary growth, and Yoplait became the No. 1 selling yogurt in the United States. Friendly began his career in 1983 as a marketing assistant with General Mills Canada. A year later, he moved to the U.S. cereal business. Over the next decade, Friendly held progressively broader marketing assignments in the Big G and Betty Crocker divisions. Friendly was elected a senior vice president in 2000. Friendly received his bachelor’s degree in commerce from Queen’s University in 1983.
