Jim McNerney
Chairman, President and CEO, The Boeing Company
W. James (Jim) McNerney, Jr., is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company.
McNerney, 61, oversees the strategic direction of the Chicago-based, $64.3 billion aerospace company. With more than 160,000 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 a 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 90 nations.
Before taking the helm at Boeing on July 1, 2005, McNerney held the position 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.
Prior to 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 has served as a member of the Boeing board since 2001. McNerney 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 serves on the executive committee of The Business Roundtable. He is the former chair of The Business Council, the US-China Business Council and the American Society of Corporate Executives.
McNerney is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an honorary fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. In 2009, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Cranfield University for his contribution to the international aerospace industry. He was named Executive of the Year by the National Management Association in 2008.
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. McNerney is married and has five children. He enjoys skiing, golf, hiking and hockey.