Former U.S. Army special attack helicopter pilot Tim Best describes helping corporate companies create and strengthen their veteran recruiting programs.
Members of the armed forces have traded their uniforms for corporate suits for decades, with some making their way to the helm of Fortune 500 companies.
Companies like General Motors, Verizon, Johnson & Johnson and Anheuser-Busch have all tapped former military members to lead their operations.
Eric Eversole, president of Hiring Our Heroes and vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told FOX Business that these individuals are highly qualified for executive roles due to their training in adapting quickly and making informed decisions in high-pressure environments.
“Critical skills like leadership, problem-solving, and the ability to work under pressure while handling challenges that are often outside of your control are cultivated in the armed forces,” Eversole said. “I can’t think of a better training ground for a CEO than the U.S. military.”
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Here are some current and former CEOs who have served in the U.S. military:
Alex Gorsky
Alex Gorsky, chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson, testifies on the stand at Middlesex County Superior Court in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Alex Gorsky was the chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson from 2012 to January 2022.
After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Gorsky served six years in the Army and even earned the rank of captain, the Ranger tab and Airborne wings, according to Johnson & Johnson.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JNJ | JOHNSON & JOHNSON | 155.47 | -1.26 | -0.80% |
Brendan Whitworth
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth (Anheuser-Busch)
Brendan Whitworth became the chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch in July 2021 after serving with the company since 2013. However, well before his corporate days, he attended Officer Candidates School, where graduation candidates are commissioned as officers in the United States Marine Corps.
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From 1998 to 2001, he served as a first lieutenant in the Marines. For the next five years, he served as an operations officer for the CIA’s counterterrorism center.
Daniel Akerson
Former General Motors CEO Daniel Akerson received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1970 and served in the Navy for five years, according to multiple reports. In an interview with Fortune, Akerson credited his military service for helping him in his business career.
In 2010, Daniel Akerson took over as CEO of GM, succeeding Edward Whitacre. He held the position until 2014, when he announced his retirement.
Then-General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson speaks at the 2012 GM annual meeting of stockholders at GM headquarters June 12, 2012, in Detroit, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images / Getty Images)
In 2013, GM credited Akerson with guiding the company to “record profits and dramatic improvement in vehicle quality while closing the chapter on government ownership in the company.”
Immediately after the company’s initial public offering in November 2010, GM said it recorded 15 consecutive quarters of profitability under his leadership. The company also re-invested nearly $9 billion and created or retained more than 25,000 jobs at its U.S. plants. In 2013, it earned the best overall initial vehicle quality scores of any auto manufacturer, the company said.
Lowell C. McAdam
Lowell C. McAdam is the chairperson and former chief executive officer of Verizon Communications. He sat at the helm of the company between 2011 and 2018.
Verizon credited him as being one of the architects of today’s global wireless industry, having built wireless businesses on three continents since the technology’s development in the 1980s.
Lowell C. McAdam, chairman and chief executive officer of Verizon Communications Inc., speaks during a keynote address at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. ( David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Before his longstanding career within the telecommunications industry, McAdam earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Cornell and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of San Diego, according to Verizon. He spent six years in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps and became a licensed professional engineer in 1979.
Mark Clouse
Mark Clouse, the president and chief executive officer of the Campbell Soup Company. (Campbell Soup Company)
Mark Clouse became the CEO of the Campbell Soup Company in January 2019. He is the 14th leader in the company’s more than 150-year history.
Long before jumping into the food industry, he served in the United States Army as a pilot, eventually completing his service as a captain, according to Campbell.
He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
James D. Taiclet
James D. Taiclet, CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. (Lockheed Martin Corporation)
James “Jim” Taiclet has been the chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corp. since June 2020.
Taiclet started his career as a U.S. Air Force officer and pilot. According to Lockheed Martin, he logged over 5,000 flying hours as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot and unit chief of Standardization and Evaluation.
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He was a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and later earned a master’s degree at Princeton University.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMT | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP. | 564.56 | +12.72 | +2.31% |
Former CEO of Lockheed Martin, Robert J. Stevens, who sat at the helm of the company from August 2004 through December 2012, also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years, according to Lockheed Martin.
Frederick W. Smith
Former Fedex CEO Fred Smith is pictured at a business roundtable meeting of company leaders and U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Washington, on June 13, 2012. (Reuters/Jason Reed / Reuters)
The founder and former CEO of FedEx, Frederick W. Smith, was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps before he started the package service company.
Before he started FedEx in 1973, Smith did four years of service in the Marines, which included two tours of duty in Vietnam.
He stepped down as CEO of FedEx in June 2022 after growing the company into a global enterprise for nearly 50 years.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDX | FEDEX CORP. | 286.28 | +3.07 | +1.08% |
Ken Hicks
Ken Hicks is the CEO of Academy Sports. (Ken Hicks Official)
Ken C. Hicks took over as the CEO of PetSmart, the omnichannel pet retailer, in October 2024. He simultaneously joined the company’s board of directors.
Before that, Hicks served as CEO of Academy Sports + Outdoors. He has been credited with helping the business achieve sales and profit margin growth. According to PetSmart, he also built a strong e-commerce business and completed an initial public offering during his time at Academy Sports.
Prior to that, he spent five years leading Foot Locker.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | FOOT LOCKER INC. | 24.70 | -0.15 | -0.60% |
Hicks graduated from West Point and served in the U.S. Army, according to Academy. He also received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
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Scott Wine
Scott Wine, chairman and chief executive officer of Polaris Industries Inc., speaks during an interview in New York on Nov. 11, 2015. (Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Scott Wine served as CEO of CNH Industrial, a global capital goods company, from January 2021 to April 2024.
CNH Industrial announced earlier this year that Wine decided to leave the company after successfully overseeing the execution of its 2021 business plan.
Prior to that, Wine was the CEO of Polaris Industries Inc. since September 2008.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNHI | NO DATA AVAILABLE | – | – | – |
| PII | POLARIS INC. | 68.93 | -0.85 | -1.22% |
Wine has also held roles at defense companies including United Technologies, Danaher Corp. and Allied Signal Corp., which became Honeywell International Inc.
Wine is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from the University of Maryland.
Sumner Redstone
Sumner Redstone. (Mario Ruiz/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
The late Sumner Redstone was the former chairman and CEO of National Amusements, which eventually took control of Viacom in 1996, and CBS in 2000. The companies operated as ViacomCBS before the name transitioned to Paramount Global in February 2022.
Skydance Media and Paramount Global merged in July 2024.
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During his early career, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II, cracking Japanese military codes, according to reports.
Redstone died in 2020 at the age of 97.
Robert A. McDonald
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald makes remarks on Veterans Day in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Robert A. McDonald served as the CEO of Procter & Gamble for four years until retiring in 2013. He had been with the company for over three decades.
In 2014, then-President Barack Obama tapped McDonald to become the secretary of Veterans Affairs.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. | 167.71 | +4.30 | +2.63% |
McDonald is a graduate of West Point and served in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Division, according to his website.
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James A. Skinner
James A. Skinner, then-chief executive officer of McDonald’s Corp., speaks during a news conference following the company’s annual meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois, on May 27, 2009. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
James A. Skinner is the former executive chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance and former CEO of McDonald’s.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE INC. | 9.07 | -0.20 | -2.16% |
| MCD | MCDONALD’S CORP. | 299.14 | +4.35 | +1.48% |
He served in the U.S. Navy for almost 10 years, including during the Vietnam War, according to Veterans Advantage.
