Why Judges Chose Jim McNerney as 2015 CEO of the Year

Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, Walt Disney and 2014 Chief Executive of the Year
— “To me, the selection of Jim McNerney makes sense for a variety of reasons. I’m extremely impressed with who he is both as a CEO and as a citizen. The company that he runs is large, complex and extremely important in terms of the industry. I think he’s just an outstanding choice for this award.”

Christine Jacobs, Former CEO, Theragenics
— “I’d echo what Bob said, and add that all of this has been done in a climate where we’ve had major regulatory and macroeconomic challenges. Jim’s skill in maneuvering through this is exemplary.”

Thomas Quinlan President and CEO, RR Donnelley
— “Jim by far excels at each one of the criteria that we set forth to select the CEO of the Year. In addition, his leadership of the Export-Import Bank and his work there represents great effort to ensure that the U.S. is positioned well to compete on a global basis.”

Tamara Lundgren, President and CEO, Schnitzer Steel
— “Jim McNerney is running one of the most important companies for our country that has faced a tremendous amount of global headwinds, as well as domestic challenges. He’s navigated all of those extremely well and stayed a leader, both in the U.S. as well as around the world. He has been a great generator of both job growth and high shareholder returns.”

Dan Glaser, President and Chief Executive, Marsh and McLennan Companies
— “Jim has delivered tremendous performance in a challenging global environment. He is a true leader both inside and outside of Boeing.

Maggie Wilderotter, Executive Chairman, Frontier Communications
— “Jim is genuine. He’s a great listener and learner. He handles complexity extremely well. He’s both an internal and external leader, whether in the boardroom or in Washington, D.C. He’s an ambassador for our country around the world. He runs a very important company that actually carries millions of people every single day where they need to go, with safety top of mind. And he’s delivered great and consistent financial results over the years for his shareholders.”

Robert Nardelli, CEO XLR-8
— “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jim and working with him for over 20 years, and I think what the committee saw is someone who clearly emerged as a best-in-class leader in all 11 categories we set forth to evaluate. He sets the bar high for his peers. He is clearly an admired leader both within the company and within the industry, and he brings a level of global perspective to Boeing that certainly has demonstrated itself in its financial performance.”

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld President and Chief Executive, Leadership Institute Yale School of Management
— “Jim stepped into a culture of political intrigue, scandal, competitive ferocity and other geopolitical headwinds that triggered a lot of backlash against great U.S. companies like Boeing, and he transformed this magically. In a very short amount of time, he restored the luster of Boeing to become a great global icon of U.S. industrial greatness. In addition, he is a tremendous global statesman in a variety of sensitive diplomatic matters. We’re proud to have him as our honoree this year.”

Fred Hassan, Chairman, Zx Pharma and Partner, Managing Director, Healthcare at Warburg Pincus
— “Jim is absolutely the right person. He personifies what’s good about the private sector. He has demonstrated courage and tenacity for a company that is very important for the U.S., and he has kept his company strong at a time when there are enormous global pressures and unfair global competition. For this and other reasons, he really is best in class on all the criteria that we looked at.”

Mark Weinberger, Chairman and Chief Executive, EY
— “Jim is a great example for all of us. He has led a great company for a long time, and he’s extended that leadership outside the company to serve us well in Washington.”