Jim McNerney

Jim McNerney has led some of America’s most distinguished and recognizable companies during a storied business career that includes executive roles at GE, 3M and Boeing.

As chairman, president and CEO of Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company at $96 billion in revenues and more than 160,000 employees. During McNerney’s 11-year tenure, Boeing recaptured its historic market-share lead in commercial airplane deliveries, reasserted its leadership in human spaceflight and preserved its position among America’s top defense contractors, despite a severe downturn in U.S. and other allied nations’ defense spending.

McNerney has also served as the chairman of the board and the CEO of 3M—then a $20 billion globally diversified technology company—for 5 years. Before 3M, McNerney spent 19 years at General Electric (GE), where he held top executive leadership positions in GE Aircraft Engines, GE Information Services, GE Lighting, GE Asia-Pacific, GE Electrical Distribution and Control and GE Capital.

McNerney was named “CEO of the Year” in 2015 by Chief Executive magazine, an honor previously bestowed on Bill Gates (Microsoft), Jack Welch (GE), Michael Dell (Dell Computers) and Bob Iger (Disney). McNerney also remains deeply engaged in the non-profit and business communities. He serves on the Kennedy Center board of trustees by appointment of President Barack Obama and on the board of trustees of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He previously chaired the President’s Export Council and is a past chair of Business Roundtable. He has also chaired the US-China Business Council and The Business Council. He is a director of Procter & Gamble, a director of IBM, a member of The Field Museum Board of Trustees in Chicago, a trustee of Northwestern University and the chair of the Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Board.