Overview

Gender

male

James McNerney was the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company. McNerney oversees the strategic direction of the Chicago-based, $86.6 billion aerospace company. With more than 168,000 employees across the United States and in 70 countries, Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and a top U.S. exporter.

It is the leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes, military aircraft, and defense, space, and security systems; it supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in more than 150 nations. McNerney joined Boeing as chairman, president, and CEO on July 1, 2005.

Before that, he served as chairman of the board and CEO of 3M, then a $20 billion global technology company with leading positions in electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office products, health care, safety, and other businesses. He joined 3M in 2000 after 19 years at the General Electric Company.

McNerney joined General Electric in 1982. There, he held top executive positions including president and CEO of GE Aircraft Engines and GE Lighting; president of GE Asia-Pacific; president and CEO of GE Electrical Distribution and Control; executive vice president of GE Capital, one of the world's largest financial service companies; and president, GE Information Services.

Before joining GE, McNerney worked at Procter & Gamble and McKinsey & Co., Inc. By appointment of U.S. President Barack Obama, McNerney chairs the President's Export Council, which operates as an advisory committee on international trade.

He is a member of the executive committee and a past chair of Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies; a member of the CEO Fiscal Leadership Council, a non-partisan effort to mobilize support for a comprehensive U.S. federal debt-reduction agreement; and serves on the board of trustees of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan, non-profit organization that seeks to advance global security and prosperity.McNerney has served as a member of the Boeing board since 2001.

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 a member of the Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Board. He also is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an honorary fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. In addition, McNerney has received the following honors and recognition:

2012 inaugural Turning Point Award from the U.S. Army War College Foundation for leadership that resulted in a strategic turning point for Boeing 2012 Semper Fidelis Award from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation for service to the United States that exemplifies the Marine Corps motto to remain Always Faithful 2011 John W. Dixon Award from the Association of the U.S. Army for outstanding contributions to national defense

2009 honorary Doctor of Science degree from Cranfield University for his contributions to the international aerospace industry2008 National Management Association's Executive of the Year
A native of Providence, R.I., McNerney earned a B.A. degree from Yale University in 1971 and an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1975. He is married and has five children. He enjoys skiing, golf, hiking, and hockey.