Ellen J. Kullman | |
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Born | Ellen Jamison January 22, 1956 Wilmington, Delaware, US |
Alma mater |
Tufts University Northwestern University |
Occupation | Business executive |
Title | CEO of Carbon |
Board member of |
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Spouse | Michael Kullman |
Ellen J. Kullman (born January 22, 1956) is a United States business executive. Since November 2019, she has been the chief executive officer of Carbon (company). [1] She was formerly Chair and Chief Executive Officer of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ("DuPont") in Wilmington and is a former director of General Motors. Forbes ranked her 31st of the 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014. [2] Kullman retired from DuPont on October 16, 2015. [3]
Kullman was born Ellen Jamison in Wilmington, Delaware, [4] [5] the younger daughter of Joseph and Margaret Jamison. [4] She has two older brothers and an older sister. [4] Kullman attended Tower Hill School in Wilmington and then studied mechanical engineering at Tufts University, where she received her bachelor's degree in 1978. [4] In 1983, she received a master's degree in management from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. [4]
Kullman began her business career at General Electric and joined DuPont in 1988 as marketing manager in the company's medical imaging business. [4] [5] In her later role as executive vice president she was responsible for four of DuPont's business platforms as well as for leading the company's growth in markets outside the USA. [4]
DuPont's board of directors elected Kullman President and a director of the company, coming into effect October 1, 2008, and Chief Executive Officer, coming into effect January 1, 2009. [6] She was the nineteenth executive, and the first woman, to lead the company in its 212-year history. [7] Fortune magazine named Kullman fifteenth in its list of the world's fifty most powerful women for 2008, [8] and fifth on the list for 2009 [9] and 2010. [10] In 2014 she was ranked as the 31st most powerful woman in the world, up from 42nd in 2013. [2] The Wall Street Journal named her eighth on its 2008 list of "Women to Watch". [11]
Kullman was a director of General Motors from 2004 to 2008 [12] [13] and was elected to the board of trustees of Tufts University in 2006. [14]
On October 30, 2009, DuPont announced that its board of directors had elected Kullman as Chair of the company effective December 31, 2009. [15] [16]
She was a member of the Executive Committee of The Business Council for 2011 - 2013. [17]
On June 6, 2013 the US-China Business Council announced that Kullman had been elected as its Chair. [18]
Kullman's retirement was announced by DuPont on October 5, 2015 (effective October 16, 2015) following a battle with activist investor Nelson Peltz and Trian Fund Management, his investment firm. Peltz sought 4 board seats and argued that DuPont needed to cut costs and meet financial targets, but had lost a shareholder vote earlier in the year. [3]
On October 14, 2016, Amgen appointed Kullman to its board of directors. [19]
On December 21, 2016, Kullman joined the board of directors of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. as an independent director. [20]
External videos | |
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"George Washington Carver Award acceptance speech", Ellen Kullman, Biotechnology Innovation Organization |
Kullman has been awarded Sellinger's Business Leader of the Year. [21] In 2014, she was given the George Washington Carver Award for innovation in industrial biotechnology. She is the first woman to receive the award. [22] In 2015, Kullman received the International Palladium Medal from the Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section), [23] the Engineering Leader of the Year Award, [24] the Pete du Pont Individual Freedom Award, [25] and Delaware's Order of the First State. [26] She is also a recipient of the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award from Catholic Charities. [27]
Kullman was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2015 for leadership in the business growth and transformation of a global science and engineering company.
In 2020, Kullman was named as one of the Top 50 Best CEOs for Small/Mid-Size companies by Comparably. [28]
In October 2019, Kullman responded to accusations that in her role as CEO of DuPont, she inappropriately delegated DuPont's environmental liabilities to a spin-off company, Chemours. [29] DuPont incurred environmental liabilities [30] as a result of contaminating drinking water with Perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical which is harmful to humans and the environment, and is known to be the cause of multiple diseases in humans and animals, including cancers and birth defects, [31] and has resulted in cancer in 2,507 individuals living in Wood County, West Virginia. [32]
On March 26, 2018, Kullman's alma mater Tufts University announced they would be awarding her an honorary degree. In the weeks leading up to graduation, this was met by University-wide outrage. [33] [34] During her speech at the University's graduation, hundreds of students protested with signs and turned their backs to her. [35]
Kullman is married to Michael Kullman and they have three children. [4] [5]