Engineers tend to be hard-working, detail-oriented and practical, making them good candidates for a corner office.
May 23, 2017
Earning an engineering degree may not necessarily make you a CEO, but it’s a good start.Many of the biggest and wealthiest companies in the world are headed by engineers. Apple, Amazon and Google, for example, are all led by individuals educated in engineering. So are Boeing, IBM, Microsoft, Shell, General Motors and Dow Chemical.Those few powerhouses, however, are just the tip of the executive iceberg. A 2011 study by the consulting firm Stuart Spencer concluded that approximately one-third of top executives in S&P 500 companies were educated as engineers.The reasons are many. Having earned what Time magazine once called “the toughest degree in the U.S. educational establishment,” engineers tend to be hard-working. They’re also detail-oriented and practical. They know what works, what’s efficient and what’s safe. And, having had a dose of engineering economics in their formative years, they tend to know how to weigh costs against benefits.Here, we’ve collected photos and engineering background information on CEOs at some of the world’s top companies. From Apple and Amazon to Alphabet and Analog Devices, we present 15 of the best and brightest.
Senior technical editor Chuck Murray has been writing about technology for 33 years. He joined Design News in 1987, and has covered electronics, automation, fluid power, and autos.
Speaking of engineers who have held C-Level roles, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, will speak at the East Coast's largest annual Design & Manufacturing Event in New York this June. Register today for this can't miss oppertunity to hear Wozniak's thoughts on Apple, robotics, IoT, and more. |
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