Roderick A. Palmore

Roderick A. Palmore, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance and Risk Management Officer for General Mills.

"Rick Palmore has overall responsibility for the company's global legal activities, corporate ethics and compliance, and corporate security. He is chair of the company’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee.

"Rick joined General Mills in 2008. In his previous position at Sara Lee, he served as executive vice president and general counsel. He had joined Sara Lee in 1996 as deputy general counsel. Rick was promoted to senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary in 1999, and was named an executive vice president in 2004.

"Rick has made a broad impact on the legal profession through his leadership of “Call To Action,” an initiative he helped to launch with his peers to improve minority representation and mobility within law firms that provide services to major corporations.

"Earlier in his career, Rick was a partner with two major Chicago law firms, where he focused on business litigation. He joined Wildman, Harrold, Allen, and Dixon in 1983 as an associate and was elected a partner in 1986. He subsequently moved to Sonnenschein, Nath, and Rosenthal as a partner in 1993.

"Previous to that, Rick spent three years as assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

"Rick earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Yale University and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is currently on the boards of both the Chicago Board Options Exchange and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra."

• Former Director, Village Foundation