Bernard W. Walsh
Company Group Chairman
Johnson &Johnson
Revenue: $22.6 billion
Employees: 95,000
Bernard Walsh’s career at Johnson &Johnson spans over 30 years, and in that time he has held several positions at the world-famous healthcare company.
Walsh currently serves as a company group chairman of Johnson &Johnson’s skin care franchise worldwide. He was named to this position in October 1998. He also serves as a member of the consumer and personal care group operating committee.
A B.A. graduate of St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, Walsh was also presented with an honorary doctorate from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He is a member of the Ireland-United States Council and is also involved in a number of other community organizations.
A first-generation Irish American whose father was born in County Mayo, Walsh is married with three children and six grand children. He and his wife reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Joseph M. Walsh
CEO
Curtis Circulation Company
Revenue: $1.1 billion
Employees: 510
The Curtis Circulation Company is the largest distributor of consumer magazines to over 200,000 retailers in North America. Coowned by Joseph Walsh and the LaGardere Group, a major French multimedia company, the distributor currently represents 25 percent of the sales volume of magazines sold on newsstands and checkouts in the United States and Canada.
Curtis is also a worldwide exporter of magazines. Some of the 900 publications distributed by Curtis are The Economist, Elle, Family Circle, National Geographic, Newsweek, and McCall’s. In 1999, Curtis became the national distributor of Irish America and the Irish Voice.
Walsh’s parents are both from Co. Cork — his mother from Doneraile and his father from Kildorrery. Walsh became an Irish citizen along with his wife, who also has Cork roots, and their five children.
He is a member of seeral Irish American organizations including Project Children, the Irish American Partnership and the Irish American Unity Conference. He and several of his associates opened — and continue to support — a shelter for homeless women and their children in East Harlem, New York. In April of this year his invaluable collection of sports memorabilia was put on display at the Stadium in Garrison, New York.
John F. Welch, Jr.
Chairman &CEO
General Electric Company (USA)
Revenue: $89.3 billion
Employees: 275,000
Since Jack Welch became chairman in 1981, GE’s market capitalization has grown from $12 billion to nearly $340 billion in 1999.
According to an article about celebrity CEOs in The Wall Street Journal, Welch is “legendary for toughness, problem-solving and a knack for boiling down business truths into simple dictums.”
Business Week magazine says that since Welch took the reins at GE, “he has relentlessly reshaped this icon of the American economy.” The magazine also complimented Welch, calling him “the gold standard against which other CEOs are measured.” Now 64 years of age, Welch has announced his intention to retire in the year 2000.
Born in Peabody, MA, he holds a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts and postgraduate degrees from the University of Illinois.
A second-generation Irish American, Welch is a past recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which pays tribute to the achievements of different ethnic groups. He has expressed his pride in his Irish heritage.
Martin E. Welch III
Senior Vice President &CFO
Kmart Corporation
Revenue: $34 billion
Employees: 300,000
Since being appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer at Kmart in 1995, Martin E. Welch III has proved to be integral in strengthening all aspects of the company’s financial operations. Prior to joining Kmart, Welch served as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Federal-Mogul Corporation from 1991 to 1995.
After earning a B.S. in Accounting and an M.B.A. from University of Detroit-Mercy, Welch launched his professional career in 1970 as an auditor with Arthur Young &Company in Detroit, Michigan. He also spent nine years in several executive posts with Chrysler Corporation including assistant treasurer, general auditor and chief financial officer for Chrysler Canada.
Welch is a board member of Mercy Health Services and the Detroit Chapter of Financial Executives Institute. He also serves on the Chase Manhattan Bank National Advisory Board.
A third-generation Irish American, Welch traces his roots on both sides of his family to County Cork. He is married with four children.
Michael White
Senior Vice President &CFO PepsiCo, Inc.
Revenue: $19 billion
Employees: 125,400
Michael White’s personal motto is “Make a Difference!” and as senior vice president and chief financial officer for PepsiCo, Inc. he is responsible for treasury, tax, control, audit, information technology and investor relations functions for one of the largest consumer products companies in the world.
With revenues of over $19 billion, PepsiCola and Frito-Lay are household names, and while traditionally associated with American life, are sold and distributed worldwide. PepsiCo’ s most recent acquisition of Tropicana Products, the world’s most successful juice company, denotes the company’s commitment to expansion and quality investment.
White joined the PepsiCo company in 1990 as vice president of planning for Frito-Lay and was appointed to his present position in March of 1998. Before PepsiCo, he was the senior vice president and general manager for Avon Products, Inc.
With an M.A. in International Relations from John’s Hopkins University, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Boston College and was a Ford Foundation fellow at Leningrad State University. White currently resides in Westchester County, New York, with his wife and three children. He traces his third-generation Irish lineage on his father’s side to Co. Cork.♦
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