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Motorola Solutions’ Greg Brown Is Chief Executive Magazine’s 2026 CEO Of The Year

A committee of his peer CEOs recognized Brown for transforming a once-struggling cellular handset manufacturer into the backbone of America’s public safety infrastructure. ‘An exceptional leader.’
Greg Brown headshot
Courtesy of Greg Brown

Chief Executive magazine today announced Greg Brown, chair and CEO of Motorola Solutions, has been named 2026 Chief Executive of the Year by his peer CEOs. Brown was selected by an independent committee of CEOs for his work leading the organization’s transformation into the world’s most advanced safety and security company.

“Greg Brown has led his company from challenged to winning with his willingness to make a bold strategic bet and a relentless focus on execution,” said Dave Ricks, chair and CEO, Eli Lilly, a member of our selection committee and our 2025 CEO of the Year. “The fact that Motorola now sits at the core of public safety communications—protecting communities across the U.S. and around the world—is a testament to his vision and discipline. As a long-serving CEO, Greg has earned the respect of investors, his customers and fellow CEOs alike. He is an outstanding choice for CEO of the Year.”

Marillyn Hewson, former chair and CEO of Lockheed Martin, a member of the selection committee and our 2018 CEO of the Year said: “Greg’s an exceptional leader who has navigated a challenging and complex environment to transform Motorola into a highly valued technology partner for public safety, defense and enterprise organizations around the world.”

“Congratulations, Greg, on becoming our 2026 CEO of the Year,” said Tamara Lundgren, former chair and CEO of Radius Recycling and a selection committee member. “Your courageous transformation of an iconic company has redefined its trajectory and built a powerful launchpad for Motorola Solutions’ next century.”

Brown, who joined Motorola as a division president in 2003, became CEO of the original Motorola in 2008 before engineering one of the boldest strategic reinventions in modern American business history: splitting the company in two and spinning off the consumer handset division to build Motorola Solutions from the public safety and enterprise technology assets that remained.

Over the last 18 years, Brown has transformed what was once a struggling cellular handset manufacturer into the backbone of America’s public safety infrastructure—a company whose technology powers the majority of 911 systems in the United States and serves police and emergency response organizations worldwide.

Under Brown, Motorola Solutions has delivered a total shareholder return exceeding 1,400 percent since the 2011 spin-off, with the stock gaining 50 percent in 2024 alone. He has completed more than 55 acquisitions, expanding aggressively into video security, command center solutions software, and most recently a new defense market through the $4.4 billion acquisition of high-speed mobile ad-hoc network technology maker Silvus Technologies in 2025.

“I’m honored and humbled by this recognition by my peers, which is a testament to the passion and performance of the entire Motorola Solutions team,” said Brown. “Everything we do is driven by our unwavering focus on helping people be safer in the moments that matter. It’s my privilege to lead this iconic company as we continue to build and expand the technology bedrock of public safety and security. Our best work is still ahead of us.”

Said Ted Bililies, global co-head of Transformative Leadership Services, Partner & Managing Director, Senior Advisor, Talent Strategy at AlixPartners, and longtime advisor to the committee: “Greg Brown exemplifies the rarest caliber of transformational leadership, a CEO who had the strategic courage to reinvent a century-old American icon, the operational discipline to compound exceptional performance across 18 consecutive years, and the moral clarity to anchor an entire enterprise around a purpose—making the world safer—that turns customers, employees and shareholders into true believers.”

Brown’s selection as 2026 CEO of the Year is scheduled to be celebrated at an invitation-only event hosted by Chief Executive Group this October.

About Chief Executive of the Year

Since 1986, Chief Executive of the Year honorees have been a who’s who of American business leadership, including Dave Ricks, Lisa Su, Ed Bastian, Marc Benioff, Ken Frazier, Bill Gates, Brian Moynihan, Arne Sorenson, Michael Dell, A. G. Lafley, Marillyn Hewson, John Chambers, Fred Smith, Bob Iger, Anne Mulcahy, Larry Bossidy, Andy Grove, Herb Kelleher and many more. The honor recognizes courageous, long-term executive leadership in the service of shareholders and society. Learn more: ChiefExecutive.net/CEO-of-the-Year/

The 2026 Selection Committee

The Chief Executive of the Year was selected by a committee of distinguished peer CEOs. The 2026 committee:

  • Dave Ricks (CEO, Eli Lilly and 2025 CEO of the Year);
  • Lisa Su (CEO, AMD and 2024 CEO of the Year);
  • Ed Bastian, (CEO, Delta Air Lines and 2023 CEO of the Year);
  • Marc Benioff (co-founder and CEO, Salesforce; 2022 CEO of the Year);
  • Ken Frazier (former CEO, Merck; 2021 CEO of the Year);
  • Brian Moynihan (CEO, Bank of America; 2020 CEO of the Year);
  • Marillyn Hewson (former CEO, Lockheed Martin; 2018 CEO of the Year);
  • Stanley Bergman (former CEO, Henry Schein; 2017 CEO of the Year);
  • Adam Aron (president and CEO, AMC Entertainment);
  • Carmine Di Sibio (former CEO, EY Global);
  • Jason Girzadas, (CEO, Deloitte US);
  • Dan Glaser (former CEO, Marsh McLennan);
  • Fred Hassan (former chair, Bausch & Lomb; partner, Warburg Pincus);
  • Tamara Lundgren (former CEO, Radius Recycling);
  • Robert Nardelli (former CEO, Chrysler and Home Depot and CEO, XLR-8);
  • Tom Quinlan III (CEO, RR Donnelley);
  • Jeffrey Sonnenfeld (president and CEO, The Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute).

Ted Bililies, Ph.D., global co-head of Transformative Leadership Services, Partner & Managing Director, Senior Advisor, Talent Strategy at AlixPartners, is the exclusive adviser to the 2026 Selection Committee.

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Chief Executive

Chief Executive magazine (published since 1977) is the definitive source that CEOs turn to for insight and ideas that help increase their effectiveness and grow their business. Chief Executive Group also produces e-newsletters and online content at chiefexecutive.net and manages Chief Executive Network and other executive peer groups, as well as conferences and roundtables that enable top corporate officers to discuss key subjects and share their experiences within a community of peers. Chief Executive facilitates the annual “CEO of the Year,” a prestigious honor bestowed upon an outstanding corporate leader, nominated and selected by a group of peers, and is known throughout the U.S. and elsewhere for its annual ranking of Best & Worst States for Business. Visit www.chiefexecutive.net for more information.
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