Stephen W. Sanger (born April 10, 1946) is a former chairman and chief executive officer of

General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...

, former chairman of

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...

, as well as a director of

Target Corporation Target Corporation is an American retail corporation that operates a chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh-largest retailer in the United States, and a component of th ...

, and

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

Early life

A native of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Sanger received a BA degree in history from

DePauw University DePauw University ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1837 as Indiana Asbury College and changed its name to DePauw University in 1884. The college has a Methodist heritage and was ...

in 1968 and an MBA degree from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1970. He joined

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...

in the marketing and sales department in Cincinnati.

Career

In 1974, Sanger joined General Mills in marketing, rising to the post of vice president and general manager of Northstar Division in 1983. He was the president of Yoplait USA from 1986 to 1988 and president of Big G Cereal Division from 1988 to 1991. Sanger was named senior vice president of General Mills in 1989 and executive vice president in 1991. He was elected to the board of directors as vice chairman in 1992. Named president of General Mills in September 1993, he held this post until May 1995 when he became chairman and chief executive officer. Sanger retired as CEO in September 2007 and as chairman in May 2008. He was a director of

and Wells Fargo & Company, and formerly served on the boards of Dayton Hudson Corporation, Donaldson Company, Grocery Manufacturers of America, and Minnesota Business Partnership. Sanger is a board member of Catalyst, the Guthrie Theatre, and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and a member of the Business Council and the US Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

Politics

In the political realm, he has been a member of Bush-Cheney 2000 and Bush-Cheney '04.

Controversy

Journalist

Michael Moss Michael Moss is an American journalist, author, and public speaker. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2010, and was a finalist for the prize in 2006 and 1999. He is also the recipient of the Gerald Loeb Award for Lar ...

, in the New York Times and the book “ Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us,” criticized Sanger for refusing to change the policies of General Mills due to health concerns. He was elected Chairman of Wells Fargo’s Board of Directors in October 2016. On 15 August 2017, he announced that he was retiring and will step down in 2018 amid a company scandal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanger, Stephen Living people Chairmen of General Mills Wells Fargo employees 1946 births American chairpersons of corporations Businesspeople from Cincinnati DePauw University alumni Ross School of Business alumni Pfizer people