US food giant General Mills has appointed respected Sara Lee legal chief Roderick Palmore as its new general counsel.

Palmore, who is set to start at the Minneapolis-based Fortune 500 food group on 11 February, will be responsible for General Mills' ethics and compliance functions as well as corporate security.

He replaces outgoing general counsel Siri Marshall, who retired from the role at the beginning of the year after 14 years at the company. Sara Lee has not yet announced a successor to Palmore.

Commenting on the appointment, General Mills chief executive Ken Powell said: "Siri made important contributions to our success and developed a word-class law department with deep talent and proven capability."

He added: "With his considerable legal, government and consumer product industry experience, Rick brings outstanding credentials to this important leadership role. We are delighted to add an executive of Rick's stature, experience and accomplishment to our senior leadership team."

Last April Palmore led a rejig of Sara Lee's panel of external advisers that saw Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal and Reed Smith win preferred partner status on the company's three-tier legal roster. The review placed particular emphasis on firms showing a proven commitment to diversity.

General Mills is one of the world's largest consumer food companies, with annual revenues of $13.4bn (£6.8bn). It owns household brands including Haagen Dazs, Pillsbury, Green Giant and Old El Paso.

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