Jeff Immelt
“Sports combine a bunch of important things: competitiveness, teamwork, knowing when to lead and when to follow, and dealing with both success and failure. I think competitive, collaborative activities, of which sports is the prime example, help shape the very important skill-sets for the business world. We look for people who have had teaming kind of events, such as the military, sports, or theater, activities that have forced people into group situations and made them learn how to collaborate and compete. So I think sports are just great.”
Biography
Jeffrey R. Immelt (born 1956) is the current chairman of the board and chief executive officer of General Electric (GE). Previously, Immelt had headed up GE's Medical Systems division (now known as GE Healthcare) as its President and CEO. He holds a BA in Applied Mathematics from Dartmouth College where he was president of his fraternity, Phi Delta Alpha, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has been with GE since 1982 and is on the board of two nonprofit organizations, one of which is the Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization which attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York City, New York.
Career Highlights
| 1982 | Joined General Electric |
| 1989 | Appointed an officer of GE |
| 1997 | Joined GE Capital board |
| 2000 | Appointed president and CEO of GE |
| 2001 | Took up chairmanship of GE |
