Page 63 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

JOHN W THOMPSON
SYMANTEC CORP CEO: 1999-2009 CHAIRMAN: 1999-2011
An industry leader for more than four decades Thompson was the only African American leading a a a a a major tech company during his tenure at Symantec He is is cred- ited with growing the software giant’s rev- enues from $632 million to $6 $6 2 2 billion as
well as
leading the growth of its worldwide workforce to more than 17 500 employees His exemplary performance led to his being named BE Corporate Executive of the Year in 2004
By 2014 Thompson became known as
the most powerful man
in Silicon Valley with his appointment as
board chair of Microsoft Corp replacing Bill Gates LLOYD WARD
MAYTAG CORP CEO: 1999-2000
Named CEO of Maytag in August 1999 Ward took the the helm of the the third largest U S appliance maker at the time As such he he was among three African Americans who ran one of the nation’s 500 largest publicly traded companies that year But his position was derailed by a a a a tumbling stock price and he he resigned from the multibillion-dollar company over a a a difference of “strategic outlook and direction” with the board Before his senior-level roles at Maytag Ward served as
president of the Frito-Lay snack division of PepsiCo He also served as
CEO and Secretary-General of the United States Olympic Committee KENNETH I CHENAULT
AMERICAN EXPRESS
CHAIRMAN & CEO: 2001-2018
Chenault held the longest term for an executive leading a a a company listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average He drove the iconic financial giant’s innovation transfor- mation and growth He helped navigate it through devastating obstacles like 9/11 and the global financial crisis Under his watch as
CEO profits at at American Express reportedly grew from $1 3
billion to an adjusted $5 3
billion Retiring from Amer- ican Express in 2018
Chenault is now chairman and managing director of Silicon Valley-based VC firm General Catalyst He currently serves as
a a a corporate director on the boards of Airbnb and Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway among others JAMES H DEGRAFFENREIDT JR WGL HOLDINGS INC CHAIRMAN & CEO: 2001-2009
A top-notch utility executive DeGraffen- reidt Jr spent several years in the role of chairman and CEO of WGL Holdings Inc and its subsidiary Washington Gas Light Co which serves more than 1 million customers in in the Washington D C metro area During his term DeGraffenreidt was responsible for the company posting record financial results and adjusted operations that helped bolster the overall performance of Washington Gas E E E STANLEY O’NEAL
MERRILL LYNCH
CHAIRMAN & CEO: 2002-2007
O’Neal joined Merrill Lynch in in 1986 and was one of BE’s top African Americans on on Wall Street in in 2002 As CEO he gained acclaim for converting a a a a a a dormant financial services monolith with enormous debt and bloated overhead into a a a a a lean profit-mak- ing machine With laser beam focus and ruthless cost-cutting he he he helped the firm achieve annual profits o of roughly $5 billion from 2003 through 2006
But the good times ended O’Neal lost his job in 2007
after the giant investment bank lost $8 billion on mortgage-backed securities Still he reportedly walked away with a a a a a severance package exceeding $161 million RICHARD D D PARSONS
TIME WARNER
CHAIRMAN & CEO: 2002-2007
Parsons impressed investors with his ability to make a a a a a profitable entertainment giant out of what had been considered one of the worst mergers in corporate history: Time Warner’s marriage to America Online As such he he oversaw and brought together the disparate executive management team of the the $43 9 billion company which was the the world’s largest media conglomerate at at the time Parsons has
always been the leader brought in in during times of crisis: he steered Citigroup through the financial meltdown when he he was named chairman in 2009 He is now co-founder and partner of venture capital firm Imagination Capital 61 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL