Mary Cranston, Former Pillsbury CEO and Chair, Inducted Into Bay Area Council's Business Hall of Fame

The annual event honors outstanding business and philanthropic leaders who have made an indelible impact on the Bay Area. In addition to Cranston, Prologis, Inc. co-founder, CEO and Chairman Hamid Moghadam was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. They join the ranks of trailblazers such as Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Meg Whitman and George Lucas in receiving this honor.

Cranston joined Pillsbury in 1975 after graduating from Stanford Law School. After practicing for many years as a renowned antitrust and competition litigation partner, she was elected firm Chair in 1999 and served until 2006—making history as the first female chair of a global AmLaw 100 firm. During her tenure, Cranston led several strategic initiatives including two large mergers, the addition of seven offices throughout the world, the development of innovative programs to increase diversity within the firm and the profession, and the creation of a comprehensive client service program—a program that was ranked top five in the world, according to a survey of Fortune 1000 General Counsel.

During the event, Pillsbury’s San Francisco Managing Partner Roxane Polidora engaged Cranston in a Q&A highlighting Cranston’s road to leadership and her perspectives on the business climate in the greater Bay Area.

While pursuing efforts to expand Pillsbury from its powerhouse California position to that of an international firm, Cranston, a mother of two, was also pushing for family-friendly policies at the firm.

“[San Francisco] and the firm were way ahead the rest of the nation in offering opportunities for women,” Cranston said. “It’s hard to imagine today, but Pillsbury was the first firm in the country to offer a maternity leave.” Additionally, the firm also was the first of any major law firm in the U.S. to promote a woman to partner.

“Pillsbury provides an interesting lens to look at the incredible transformations in the Bay Area, and the adjustments that our city has made as it reinvents itself for each generation.”

“I am excited about the city’s next chapter,” she said. “I am definitely betting on San Francisco.”

Pillsbury was a founding member of the Bay Area Council in 1945 and shares the council’s vision of creating the most inclusive, sustainable and economically competitive community in the world. For more information about the Bay Area Council, click here.

To watch the full induction ceremony and Q&A, click here.