During his tenure, the industrial conglomerate became the training ground for corporate leadership that not only gave GE a deep management bench, but also provided the pool of talent that other top companies tapped when they needed new CEOs.
Welch's protege, Jeff Immelt, succeeded him at GE in 2000 as chief executive officer.
Here is a list of some of the former GE executives who worked under Welch and then moved on to lead other companies:
- Robert Nardelli, former Home Depot Inc chairman and CEO, was one of the three executives in the race to succeed Welch before taking the top job at the home improvement retailer
- David Calhoun, Boeing Co's new CEO, ran multiple GE business units, including transportation, insurance and lighting, before joining the planemaker
- Jim McNerney, former Boeing chairman and CEO, joined GE in 1982 and spent 19 years at the U.S. conglomerate, holding positions including CEO of GE aircraft engines and GE lighting. Prior to joining Boeing in 2005, McNerney was CEO of Post-it notes maker 3M Co
- David Cote, who held several roles at GE, took over as CEO of Honeywell International Inc in 2002, after he was snubbed by Welch for the top job at the industrial conglomerate. Cote retired as Honeywell's CEO in 2017
- Joseph Hogan, former CEO of Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd, spent 23 years at GE in a wide range of positions including heading GE medical systems and then GE healthcare. He joined ABB in 2008 from GE and remained in the role until 2013
- Omar Ishrak, CEO of Medtronic Plc, joined the medical device maker from GE, where he spent 16 years, most recently as chief of GE healthcare.
- Lawrence Johnston, former chairman and CEO of Albertson's Inc, led GE's appliance business before joining the grocery store chain in 2001
(Reporting by Rachit Vats in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Anil D'Silva)
