Pete Dawkins

“It’s kind of an aw-shucks conclusion but Yo-Yo Ma, who I think is generally considered to be the best cellist in the world, performs more concerts, travels more, works harder at his craft than any other cellist. Just go down the line and you’ll see that the people who are the very best in the world not only have a passion and a genius for what they do, but they work the hardest.”

Biography

Pete Dawkins (born 1938) did not let childhood polio mar his life. At 11, he was successfully treated for the disease through a regime of physical therapy that firmly entrenched sport into his life.

He won a scholarship to Cranbrook and on graduation, was offered a place at Yale. Instead, Dawkins opted for West Point Military Academy, excelling both academically and in sport and leading the 1958 Army football team to a ranking of third in the country. From West Point, he went to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship before returning to the US and a military career as an officer, serving in Vietnam and Korea.

After retiring from the army, Dawkins moved into business and held various board positions at leading companies before becoming vice chairman of Citigroup Private Bank.

He did not leave his interest in defense behind and in 1998 headed a panel of CEOs charged with exploring how private sector approaches could be adopted by the military in a bid to make defense more effective. His work won him the Eisenhower Award for leadership in US National Security.

Career Highlights

Links

Pete Dawkins website